A Day In The Life
by BlackBatLicorice
Summary: Katie is on the run from a mysterious past when she finds Jack having been shot. Becoming friends, they head to the Caribbean to retrieve the Black Pearl, but Angelica is seeking revenge of the highest order and they must beat her in the race to Calypso. Throw in a fake marriage with a true love and a lot of strange occurrences, and they are in for the journey of a lifetime.
1. Starting Over

**CHAPTER ONE: Starting Over**

The small figure froze at the top of the lane as the deafening shot was fired. The sky was streaked orange and gold, bloody to match the event, and the one with the gun fled immediately. The one left standing there in the deserted evening stood as if frozen. The small figure watched from the end watched the person stagger a little, and come to rest with one hand against a wall. The smaller figure glanced around. This could be time consuming, but the other person clearly needed help.

As the figure made its way up the lane, the person who had been shot realised that they were being approached, and that the approacher was female, judging by the skirts billowing out around her. She drew level with him as he leant against the wall and through his pain he glimpsed a young face with wide green eyes, red hair worn loose and free, though stuffed hastily beneath a bonnet.

"Come on." She said roughly, seized his arm. "Move."

"Where're we going?"

"I'm going to help you but I can't if we don't get out of here." She glanced nervously over her shoulder as if expecting something horrific to appear behind them. She'd barely glanced at the man she was rescuing. He let her aid him, limping down the street and around a corner. Tall warehouses surrounded them suddenly, looming out of seemingly nowhere, and the River Thames, decorated with large cargo vessels, spread out before them. Both squinted to the opposite bank, where fields were visible. There were a few people here, men working, but nobody noticed them or paid them much attention. She yanked him behind a large pile of crates and he slumped gratefully against them. They both finally dared to look down at his leg.

The bullet had ripped a hole in his breeches, and his thigh was bleeding profusely, though he was relieved to see it was not as bad as it could've been. The young woman was pulling out a length of lace from a bag he hadn't noticed she was carrying. It was expensive and of good quality, probably intended for the hem of a ball gown or to make into a sash. His swarthy hand seized hers.

"Don't- don't waste that." He managed to gasp out at her. She looked up at him, her green eyes meeting his own brown ones. They were kohl-rimmed and kind, though set into a tanned face framed by dreadlocks. He wore a tri-corn hat and several gold teeth glimmered between his lips.

"I won't need it anymore." She pushed his hand away without any further ado, and wrapped the lace tightly around the wound, winding it several times around and tying it. "That's the best I can do, for now." The man stood gingerly, putting his weight on the leg. It was already a lot less painful now bound.

"Thank you." There she was, glancing around again as if fearful someone would see her. Her features and dress would indicate she was of a respectable background- she probably didn't want to risk being seen in his company. But undoubtedly she had a heart, to help him in the first place. He was touched by this. He expected her to hurry away now, but she didn't. Instead, she leaned back on the crates beside him. He saw panic in her expression.

"Love, forgive me for prying, but who're you hiding from?" He asked her.

"Everyone." She answered with a shaky laugh. He looked at her and she caught his eye, "Are you to pretend with your appearance that you are unfamiliar with rebellion?" He laughed, baring his gold teeth again.

"Not at all love- rebellion is friendly acquaintance of mine." His mind flashed back to his childhood, running riot around these very docks playing with sticks that he pretended were swords with his young friends. His hand traced the real sword resting against his uninjured length, sheathed. She followed his movement, her eyes taking in the sword.

"Who are you?"

"Might ask you the same question." He said daringly, raising an eyebrow.

"My name- is Katie."

"Katie who?"

"I- O'Connor. Katie O'Connor." He had a strong suspicion she was lying, but he decided not to press her; after all, she had already admitted she was hiding from someone or something, and was rebelling. What did it matter what her real name was?

"Irish are you? It's an honour, Miss O'Connor-" He began with a flourish but she glanced around antagonistically.

"Just call me Katie." This was definitely unusual for a girl of so obviously a higher class background- but then, it was unusual for anyone to willingly associate themselves with the Irish too, these days.

"Katie it is. I'm not one to stand on occasion. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?" He watched her face carefully but she gave no sign of recognition at the name and even if she did recognise it, he got the impression she didn't care very much right now.

"Are you a pirate?" She demanded. Well, Katie was definitely not one to beat around the bush, he mused.

"Well, now you come to mention it…" He smirked.

"Good. That means you can help me get out of here." Jack raised an eyebrow. He was rather enjoying her sharp manner; it made such a change for a lady just to be straightforward. But it amused him all the same.

"I can, can I?"

"You will. I helped you with that leg, when I rightfully should've turned you in for duelling in the city." Katie snapped, and he admitted to himself she had a point.

"You can 'ardly call it a duel when a man just blasts a man's leg away and tears off before you 'ave a chance to defend yerself." Jack muttered darkly, "But I'll concede this time, love. As it happens, I fancy getting out of here meself. And I have an idea of how to do it."

It hadn't been hard to convince the merchant sailors to allow Jack and Katie passage on their ship, so long as they disappeared as soon as they landed in France and were never heard of again. The fact Katie was so obviously a lady helped- they were all honest men, those sailors, keen to help a damsel in apparent distress. And Jack was just a nuisance who seemed to come as part and parcel of the deal. They wondered ideally, during the short voyage, whether this lady was running away with the scallywag. An elopement, it wasn't unheard of, a lady marrying for love far below her station.

It took a few days to cross the English Channel by sea and during that time, Jack tried to find out more about who Katie was. She was quiet, a lot of the time, but when she spoke she remained direct and blunt. He had to admit, he was taken aback by it sometimes- he was used to Elizabeth, who for so long had retained her ladylike demeanour and affectations.

"Why are you running away, Katie?" Jack asked her one night as they sailed over a relatively calm sea. The moon was bright in the sky, though the sky itself was cloudy. She turned bright blue eyes on him.

"It would be quicker to list the reasons I don't have for running." He considered this for a moment then nodded, deciding he could accept that.

"What do you plan to do now?"

"I was heading for the Free World to start a new life." She sighed, casting her gaze out on the surrounding sea, "I suppose I didn't think that far ahead."

"What kind of life would you 'ave on yer own love? I mean, don't get me wrong- you seem quite capable of looking after yerself," Jack added, "But you're a woman travelling by yerself halfway across the world. And there's no guarantee the Free World is any freer than the one you left behind."

"What do you mean?" Katie asked, frowning. Surely the whole point of the Free World was freedom? It seemed quite self-explanatory.

"Well, you're moving from one society with one set of constraints to another society with another set of constraints, aren't ya?"

"So?"

"Well, you don't know that the new society is gonna suit you any better than the old one, savvy? It might even be worse." Katie was about to make a retort when she realised he had a point. This seemed to be yet another thing she hadn't thought about.

"It's too late to go back now," Katie said miserably, "We're halfway to France."

"You're right love… but you could consider an alternative." Jack said, turning to walk away from her. Katie stared after him, her mind working rapidly.

"Jack?" She called. He stopped and turned around. His teeth were already glinting beneath the moustache. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get me ship back." She came towards him then, the ghost of a smile about her lips.

"And where is your ship?"

"That'd be in the Caribbean, lass."

"So how do we get it back?" She linked her arm through his as she said it, pulling him for a walk along the deck. Jack looked at her face. It was dancing with excitement for the first time in the few days he'd known it and the affect it had was to make her seem radiant. He noticed for the first time that she was pretty. Her hair was auburn and coming out of its carefully pinned curls beneath her bonnet, her skin porcelain against it.

"It's _we_ now, is it?" He said amusedly.

"Oh, I think so." She replied, smiling even more broadly. "You can teach me everything I need to know, and I…"

"What can you do for me, love?" Jack's eyes sparkled with mirth. She didn't miss this and for a second he expected her to slap him and say she wasn't coming with him at all if he was going to act like such a scoundrel. But Katie had decided she ought to get used to it.

"I'll do whatever I can," She said cheerfully, though with a serious note. "I'll dress your wounds again if I have to. I'll cook and clean… whatever is needed." Having a woman to cook and clean for him? It was like having a wife without the troubles.

"It isn't gonna be an easy journey. But if you're up for it… well, I don't see why not, to be honest." He pronounced. Usually it was considered bad luck having a woman on ship but he knew now that that old superstition might be the only one not worth taking into consideration. Besides, he felt oddly comfortable around Katie and she was certainly eager, now that she had some semblance of a plan. He wasn't sure she'd be able to cope with the lifestyle, but if she was willing to give it a go…

"Oh thank you! You've been so kind to me, Jack, helping me get this far… I'll be glad to repay you in service." She patted him on the arm before taking her leave towards the cabin she slept in. Jack watched her go, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction as he did so.


	2. The Eagles Have Landed

**CHAPTER TWO: The Eagles Have Landed**

The coast of northern France was in sight by the time morning arrived, the large beaches appearing grey in the lack of sunlight. It was nearing autumn and so wasn't too warm. Katie was glad she'd packed a shawl in her small bag. She approached Jack at the bow. He was watching the land draw nearer with an unreadable expression on his face.

"How is your leg?" She asked him, bringing him out of his reverie.

"I've been scared to look at it, but it feels alright. Sore, you know, but the bullet didn't make it all the way in." Jack replied thoughtfully.

"We'll find an inn or something. Maybe even a doctor. It might go gangrenous." Katie pointed out matter-of-factly. Jack grimaced, but it was hard to tell if this was more at the idea of a gangrenous wound or seeing a doctor- neither was a welcome prospect.

"I don't need a doctor. I've been shot before, love. It'll heal up." Katie considered this. If he'd been shot before, she ought to worry about what kind of life she was signing up to. But strangely she didn't care. "I was thinking…" Jack turned to her with an uncharacteristically apologetic look on his face, "While we're here, in Europe anyway, it'll make things a lot easier if people think we're man and wife." Katie blinked. She hadn't been expecting this. "People are gonna wonder about a woman and a man travelling together, unmarried. An' I know you said when we got on this ship you don't care about that, but it wouldn't do well to attract too much attention to ourselves. We are, after all, pirates." Jack explained himself quickly when she didn't respond immediately.

Normally he'd make some uncouth joke about the relations between a man and wife but for some reason he didn't feel like he could with Katie. Well, that wasn't true- she'd proven just a few hours before, at night, that she wasn't going to get offended by things like that. But that made him all the more eager not to be a scoundrel towards her, to prove her wrong. She had his rarely given, grudging respect for her straight forward manner and single-minded determination to be good at whatever task might befall her neophyte hands.

"It makes sense…" Katie said finally, "But you draw attention to yourself just by being… well… you." She indicated with a wave of her hand his eccentric appearance, the tricorn hat, the dangling trinkets, the dreadlocks. Jack smirked.

"Aye, you ain't wrong, love. But we can tell anyone who asks it's an elopement- people will assume it anyway, but they'll think it's romantic if we tell 'em instead of disgusting." He was still showing his teeth in a smile as he said this but Katie heard the jarring, single note in his voice that said otherwise.

"Marrying you wouldn't be disgusting, Jack." Katie said flatly, laying a hand on his arm. It was his turn to blink in surprise now.

"It wouldn't?" He asked, then, to recover his bravado, "An ol' ruffian like me?"

"If I thought that I wouldn't be marrying you, would I?" Katie asked, with a subtle wink, as some sailors nearby looked around at them. One of them smiled; he had been raised not to bother ladies so he hadn't spoken much to Katie but he found Jack amusing, even if he did appear to not be completely clean-cut. To complete the charade, Jack offered his arm to Katie as they disembarked the ship. She tossed some money to the swain as they went to thank them for making their escape from England possible. They headed into the town, which contained a small market which was already starting to get busy. Katie could feel the eyes of the French women on her; the French fashions were different from the English. Jack sensed the discomfort from Katie at the glances coming their way.

"They're only jealous you have me on your arm, love." He muttered to her, and she laughed unwillingly. He felt her relax a little after that though.

It didn't take them long to find an inn. Katie had never been any great shakes at French. She was educated, but had had little interest in many of her studies, barring music and literature. She managed to remember enough to get them a room though; they booked in under a false name, Monsieur and Madame Aigle, meaning 'eagle' in French, a play on Jack's real surname. The room they had taken was humbly sized, with enough room for the queen sized bed, table and wardrobe it contained and some space to manoeuvre, though there was a window seat too. The window was large and brightly lit, giving the place on overwhelmingly cheerful feel.

"_Merci beaucoup_." Katie thanked the maid who had shown them to the room, who curtseyed and departed at this bidding. As the door closed, the pair stood in silence for a moment. Jack suddenly seemed a lot more intimidating in this intimate setting than he had on the large merchant ship open to the air. Gathering all her courage back to her, she returned to her business-like manner. "Let's see your leg, then."

He slowly removed his hat, coat, belt, sword and pistol from about his person, placing them on the small table. Then, with his hands poised at the waist-line of his breeches (a new pair acquired from the ship they'd left, as the old ones had been ripped by the bullet), he looked over at her, "I'm sorry you'll have to see this."

"Just…" Katie said awkwardly, waving her hand at him impatiently. Jack pulled the breeches down and off slowly. His shirt was long enough to cover his dignity, and the wound on his thigh was still bound tightly. Gingerly, Jack began to unravel the lace, which was stained almost completely through with blood. He gave a small, barely audible gasp of pain and sank onto the edge of the bed. Katie came towards him a little nervously- she'd never seen a man in any state of undress before now- but resolutely. She bent close but there was no tell-tale stench. The maid had left a bowl of warm water at their request and Katie dipped a handkerchief into it now, cleaning the dry blood away from the wound. Luckily, it wasn't oozing, and looked to her untrained eye and Jack's more experienced one like it would begin to heal quite soon. Katie lifted the outer part of her skirt and tore at the petticoat beneath it. The material tore loudly, and she took the strip she'd torn and wrapped it back around the wound, more loosely than the original makeshift dressing. Jack gave a small sigh of relief when she was done, and she caught his eye at the noise. Hastily, both looked away.

"Thanks for that." Jack said, his voice sounding gruff. Katie settled on the edge of the other side of the bed.

"That's alright." She replied quietly. There was another long pause.

"So, this is what married life is then?" Jack indicated the bed between them. Katie's lips twitched.

"I suppose it is." She hadn't really thought about what this façade of being married would mean in places like inns- she would have to share a bed with Jack. Although she was mostly comfortable in his presence by now, she had never lain in the same bed as a man. Jack had most certainly shared a bed with any number of women before, however, and it definitely hadn't been platonic lying side by side in slumber, as this would be… or would he expect there to be more… action?

Jack seemed to guess what she was thinking, somehow, by her silence.

"I'm not a gentleman, so I won't offer to sleep on the floor. But I'm not enough of a bastard to expect you to make love with me." He murmured quietly, in a serious and sincere tone of voice. Katie took another moment to answer, but when she did it was in an equally soft and sober tone:

"Thank you."

The day was spent acquiring a change of clothes for Katie and a supply of rum of Jack. She was glad to come by a dress of some lightweight material that would be less cumbersome to move about in. She was considering graduating to breeches later on, though while they were in France and on land there was no way she'd get away with it without attracting suspicion. Jack was pleasantly jolly by the time night fell, and he found himself watching from his position sat against the headboard of the bed as she struggled out of her old dress and down to just her chemise. He could see her figure properly now, the slim waist, the curve of her hips, the roundness of her breasts… He gave a self-aware cough and put the bottle of rum down on the floor beside the bed. By the time he looked around, she was sliding into the bed beside him, looking shy.

If you had asked Jack before this day if Katie O'Connor could be shy, he would have laughed. She had seemed sure of herself and confident almost the whole time during the crossing from England. But it seemed that when placed in this quiet, intimate setting with a man, she was painfully self-conscious. She was avoiding his gaze even then, which made the warm prickly feeling he was getting all the more inappropriate. He had reassured her he wouldn't try anything, but it was going to be difficult having a beautiful young woman sleeping right beside him… no. He was better than these rogue thoughts.

"Tomorrow we'll gather together some supplies- food, more rum, just what we can carry- and then the day after we'll try to find a ship heading south- hopefully to Spain, at least." Jack told her. Katie nodded, still not looking at him. Jack sighed, "Look, I can see you've got yourself in a state worrying about being in bed with me- but you 'ave my word, love, that I won't touch you. Don't get me wrong- you're a fine woman- but I don't want you that way. If I was desperate I'd find a wench." Katie's eyes didn't widen at the mention of a prostitute as polite society would instruct a young lady to react. She didn't get righteously offended that he didn't want her. Instead, her shoulders loosened and relaxed and she finally turned her head. Her green eyes seemed to glow in the light from the candle burning on the small stand on Jack's side of the bed.

"I'm sorry," Katie said sweetly, her hand finding his and squeezing it, "I should know by now I can trust you. We've already come a long way."

"We still 'ave a long way to go." Jack told her in answer, as her hand slid away. He settled down on his side. The bed was terribly comfortable. He barely managed to extinguish the candle as his eyes began to droop with exhaustion and the rum he'd drank.

"Goodnight, Jack." Katie whispered through the darkness. They were on opposite sides of the bed, but somehow her hand had found him, barely grazing his wrist.

"'Night, love." He mumbled back.

It was walking down the cobbled street of this obscure French town, the next day, that the man appeared. His face was old and weather-beaten, his hat sat at a jaunty angle on his head, and his coat was red with elaborate embroidery, belying his apparent manner that he was of no grandiose background. He seemed to loom ahead of Jack and Katie out of nowhere, and her eyes flashed to the gun his hand rested on, tucked into his belt. Jack stopped beside her and there was a pause as she looked back at him. He swallowed. Katie opened her mouth to ask the question, but before the words left her lips, Jack spoke:

"'Allo, Dad." Katie glanced around quickly. The other man was grinning now, the smile seeming to crack the face in two. Jack walked to him and the two embraced. When they separated, the man's dark eyes were on Katie.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" He offered to her politely.

"This is Katie, my… friend." Jack said, searching for the word with difficulty, "And Katie, this is my father, Captain Teague." Teague… the name rang a bell even with Katie. Teague was a well-known pirate, having fought several battles with the Navy, though Teague had always evaded capture.

"It's nice to meet you, Katie-Friend." Teague made her a bow. Then he spoke to Jack, "You're probably wondering why I'm here."

"I'm wondering how you always find me, actually." Jack replied.

"Jackie, you leave a trail of clues behind you wherever you go. I heard about the disagreement in London, and the shooting. Witnesses had you board a merchant ship less than an hour later with a young lady," He nodded politely again to Katie, "And the ship was headed to France."

"And you just happened to be in the area?" Jack guessed. Teague gave him a strangely appraising look.

"You could say that," He shrugged, "I'm just telling you to look out, Jackie. I've heard some funny things about some old friends of yours- Angelica Teach being one of 'em."

"Angelica." Jack repeated the name and a weird look crossed his face. Katie was starting to feel like she was missing a rather large piece of this puzzle but got the feeling now was not the time to ask- instead she just paid intense attention to what was being said and Jack's reactions to it. Who was Angelica, she wondered? She'd heard Jack mention certain names a few times- Barbossa, Gibbs, even Blackbeard, but not an Angelica.

"You need to get the _Pearl_ back and fast, and get yourself a good crew because things might just turn ugly. You need to trace the _Dutchman, _too, because your connection with Bootstrap's son isn't going to be of no use."

"No use against what?" Jack asked.

"I dunno, Jackie… Like I say, it's just rumours. But trust me on saying that getting the _Pearl _back should be a priority."

"We were heading to the Caribbean to do just that." Jack informed his father a little defensively now. At the mention of 'we', both father and son's eyes went back to Katie. She lifted her chin in a slightly defiant expression. She didn't know what her role was in any of this, but she knew she was going to find one or she'd have nothing to cling to in this new-found freedom.

"You and the lady are welcome aboard the _Troubadour_. We're heading to Shipwreck Cove anyway." Jack didn't seem enthusiastic about this idea, but he also realised he had no choice. This was too ideal to pass up- free passage with allies to his intended destination. "We'll drop you off in Tortuga if you want- then you can find a crew."

"What do you think Katie?" Jack asked, turning to her. Katie looked at Teague; there was a trace of Jack in him, for sure. Maybe it was the way he held himself, because it was hard to say in looks.

"I think we'd be silly to pass this up." She replied, smiling at Teague.

_A/N: Hi everyone, thanks for reading if you've gotten this far! I realise I forgot to include an author's note in the first chapter, but I'm still getting used to using this website so bear with me. I hope you like what you've seen so far! I don't think neither the title nor the summary does this story any kind of justice but it'd be hard to fit an idea of this plot into the allowed character length. If anyone has any idea of a character change I'd be grateful to hear your idea! I should also add, that I don't own any of the recognised characters or anything to do with the Pirates franchise. Sad, I know, but true. Anyway, please leave me a review telling me how awful and horrendous this is! Any feedback would be lovely. Speaking of which, thanks a lot to __GraciesJarOfDirt__ for your review last time, you're very kind _


	3. The Troubadour

**CHAPTER THREE: The Troubadour**

The _Troubador _was an enormous ship painted rebelliously in shades of red and purple, the colours of royalty, though no such aristocracy was aboard. Many of the men were laughing and lazily chugging rum as Jack, Katie and Teague came aboard, though they attempted to look sharper as the latter walked by. Teague merely shook his head and waved his hand in a gesture to tell them to carry on. He led them to the cabin, into a room with a large rosewood table taking up much of the room and an assortment of chairs surrounding it. Teague took a seat in the most comfortable looking chair and Jack took one beside him. Katie sat the other side of Jack.

"She's a fine vessel." Jack noted out loud, glancing around at the room.

"Not quite as bonny as the _Misty Lady_," Teague responded, "But serves me well." Katie gave a slight jump of surprise as she glanced out the window and realised the ship was already moving, sailing and full speed in the autumn sea wind. Despite the tossing waves, their motion seemed smooth. Teague noticed her movement, "We're flying false colours but it'd be unwise to linger in this port. The French Navy were already hanging around, lookin' suspicious."

"You'll get used to keeping on the move." Jack added to her. Katie nodded. Jack turned back to his father, "So what's this business with Angelica?"

"You tell me, boy." Teague produced a bottle of rum seemingly out of nowhere, and sized three cups from a nearby, out of place chest of drawers shoved in a corner. He poured a measure of the rum into each and slid one across the table to Jack and another to Katie. "Did you or did you not leave 'er marooned on an island?"

"I saved 'er life and all the thanks I got was 'er trying to shoot me." Jack said defensively.

"You killed 'er father." Teague eyed his son between swigs of rum.

"Her father was Blackbeard!"

"What interests me most about your little trip to the Fountain of Youth is that you didn't take the potion. I thought that was what the whole point of it was." Teague said frankly, "You told me the trick was survival."

"And you told me I'd 'ave to live with meself forever." Jack responded. Katie was too busy trying to piece together the conversation so it made any kind of sense to her to contribute anything. Besides, she had read somewhere once about the Fountain of Youth- maybe in a newspaper, something to do with the Spanish- and was curious. "I wasn't sure, on the whole, that I was the best company to spend forever in." Teague laughed at this.

"You've learnt a lot, Jackie, and not too soon either." Teague sat up a little straighter, "Word is, Angelica is out for revenge. And more than that, she has a prize she'd like to claim. She's talking about seeking Calypso."

"That's why you want me to find the _Dutchman_, ain't it?" Jack frowned. Teague nodded. "What if I don't want to?"

"_You_ made Turner the Captain of the _Flying Dutchman_. Only you would be able to ask him to support the Brethren Court." Jack reached up and removed his hat. He turned it over three times in his hands, staring at it but apparently not seeing it. "That's two people you passed up near-immortality for: Will Turner and Angelica Teach. Jackie, both of them are important people and it's important they're not on the same side of the fight."

"So the plan is find the _Flying Dutchman_, get this Will Turner on our side, summon the- the court of- of whatever it was. And then… fight this Angelica so she can't seek Calypso." Katie piped up after several minutes of silence. Both men looked at her. She didn't quell her gaze or apologise.

"That sounds about right to me." Teague said, grinning.

"How do we find the _Flying Dutchman_?" She asked. Teague looked at Jack inquiringly at this.

"You still have that compass, boy?" Jack sighed and produced his compass, tossing it to his father, who caught it skilfully. Teague flipped it open and Jack got moodily to his feet, placing his hat back on his head.

"I'm gonna say 'ello to my old friend, the sea." He announced, leaving the cabin without further ado. Katie and Teague remained seated for a while.

"You don't ask many questions, do you?" Teague asked the young woman. Katie met his gaze easily. She already had a strange liking for the old man, even if he was enigmatic and had many legendary crimes to his name.

"I don't think I'm in a position to ask. I'm all for doing." She responded. Teague nodded.

"You haven't touched that rum." She'd forgotten about the cup in front of her.

"Spirits aren't for me, I fear." Teague smiled again.

"You're a strange lass, Katie. You remind me of someone else I knew."

"Who?" She said curiously.

"My wife."

The day wore on and Jack seemed to have disappeared. Katie explored the ship. Teague insisted she shouldn't have to apply herself to manual tasks such as sailing and said she ought to get her 'sea legs' for now. Most of the pirates were respectful towards her, either out of fear for Teague's temper if they acted otherwise or because they were used to being around women. Katie spent most of the afternoon helping the cook to prepare the dinner. He was a young man with curly brown hair and a slight form by the name of, apparently, Moss.

"I washed up on Shipwreck Cove after the ferry I was onboard got shipwrecked," He was telling her, "Well obviously. I figured life was over for me then, surrounded by pirates and all of them armed- but then Captain Teague came along and said I might come in handy. And now I cook."

"You don't seem as if you were raised to be a cook." Katie noted.

"You don't seem as if you were raised to travel the world with Jack Sparrow." He returned. Katie smiled.

"Touché." She said.

"So why are you?" He asked her. Katie frowned, already being tired of this question after only one afternoon.

"I think that's my business." She answered, slightly coldly. Moss' good breeding seemed to prevent him from pressing her anymore, the same way Jack had given up asking her because he could tell she was never going to answer the question if he did.

"I'm sorry, Miss…" He hesitated at the end of this sentence.

"I'm just Katie." She finished firmly, "And thank you." Back on friendly terms, Moss made to change the subject. But before he could do more than open his mouth, the door burst open and Jack swaggered in. He was clutching a bottle of rum in one hand and a pistol in the other. When he'd left the cabin which served as a dining room earlier he'd seemed moody and withdrawn, but now a mischievous grin was spread across his face. The smile seemed to soften a little when his eyes alighted on Katie, becoming more genuine.

"Aha, there you are!" He exclaimed. He turned clumsily towards moss and waved his hands at him, "Shoo." Moss grinned at Katie before making his exit; the crew were expected to listen to Jack's commands almost as much as Teague's. Jack placed his rum bottle upon a nearby barrel and put his pistol back in the holster attached to his belt. He then smoothly seized Katie's hands and pulled them into a waltzing position. Laughing confusedly at his jolliness, she allowed him to whirl her around the small kitchen a few times to the cheerful tune Jack was humming.

"You dance wonderfully, by the way." He informed her.

"It's a shame there's no real music." Katie returned, thinking of balls and dances in bygone days. He saw the memory gleam in her green eyes despite the dimness of the room. The sun was setting outside and the sea was rapidly becoming stormy. Jack slowed their pace a little, and she permitted him to place one hand on her waist now.

"I don't need music." He told her.

"That's because you're drunk." She giggled and he tilted his head to the side a little at the sound. Katie wasn't a giggly kind of person, that he had surmised, but dancing seemed to bring a different mood over her.

"I'm not! Well," He chortled, "Maybe a little."

"So, are you going to tell me, then?" Katie queried, aware that he'd pulled her ever so slightly closer to his body. He felt very warm. She was remembering Teague earlier, noticing that she didn't like to ask questions and had decided that if she was going to ask, now was a good time.

"Tell you what love?" He had pulled her still closer. He seemed to be drifting into a world of his own. Katie swallowed nervously, choosing her question with care.

"Who is Angelica?" She had managed to piece together the rest of the conversation earlier; everything about the Fountain of Youth, Blackbeard, Will Turner taking Davy Jones' place as Captain of the _Flying Dutchman_ (this last one had fallen into place with the aid of a crew member explaining the Captain's role in ferrying dead souls from the sea to the Locker). The one part that didn't make sense was Angelica and the way Jack reacted when she was mentioned. He didn't answer right away and she thought maybe he would become sullen again and walk away, but he seemed to be considering something. Finally, he answered:

"She's a girl… or was a girl, now she's a woman, but a girl I knew. Corrupted, some call it." He smirked slightly to himself, "She never forgave me for leaving her and exacted her revenge by enlisting her father, Blackbeard, to take the _Black Pearl_ away from me and put it in a bottle… then there was what 'appened at the Fountain of Youth, and for her… betrayal… I left her on an island. An island I knew she'd 'ave no trouble getting off of, I might add. But obviously, she wasn't happy about it."

"You loved her." Katie stated. It wasn't a question.

"I thought I always would." Jack admitted. "She was the only girl I ever… But I've 'ad a lot of time to think since I left 'er behind." His brown eyes met hers. "She's spiteful and cold. I ruined her, I admit it, but there are better options out there than a woman who wants you dead."

"Seeking Calypso seems rather far to go for revenge." Katie said thoughtfully.

"She's vengeful. Much like 'er father." Jack looked away from her. "I don't know why I'm telling you this. I've barely told anyone any of this."

"I didn't expect you to really give me an answer." Katie admitted. He smiled sadly at her.

"You didn't demand it love, and I appreciate that." Her eyes scanned his face. His kohl-rimmed dark eyes were misted over both with alcohol and with memory. The tanned face was handsome though with high cheekbones and, beneath the moustache his lips were soft-looking. She caught herself looking at them and tore her gaze away. Maybe she was becoming intoxicated off the rum fumes on his breath, being so close. He was still turning her around the room throughout the conversation, but now he brought them to a gentle stop.

"You're beautiful, Katie." He said suddenly.

"Oh… erm… thank you." She whispered. He suddenly seemed intimidating to her, the way he had seemed when she first been alone in the room at the inn with him. Intimidating, masculine, and just a bit dangerous. Every nerve seemed to tingling in her body, which felt very weak and petite beside his. A part of her wanted to run away and another part of her…

It wanted this, this crushing surrender, as suddenly he kissed her. She hadn't known that was what she wanted but when Jack seized the moment, she realised. Her arms went around his neck and he gripped her waist, pulling her body against his, bending over her slightly. Katie had never been kissed like this. She had kissed one boy before at a ball, and it had been awkward and tentative. He had apologised afterwards and hurried away and she had decided she didn't understand why the other girls giggled when they talked about kissing. Now she knew, because her knees were weak and she had the strange, excited urge to feel his hands on her, touching her. She was kissing a man this time, not an inexperienced boy.

But then she remembered something he had said to her before: _"I don't want you that way", "If I was desperate I'd find a wench." _Well, he couldn't find a wench at sea and perhaps he was now desperate! Katie wrenched her mouth away from his and stared up at him. His jaw was slack and his eyes were still cloudy as he looked at her. He let her go though.

"You're drunk, Jack." She said again.

"I know. I shouldn't have done that." He seemed to be coming back to his senses now, and he met her eyes, "You 'ad my word I wouldn't touch you. A man's only as good as 'is word, isn't 'e?"

"Jack, it's… it's alright. Just… we were agreed we didn't want each other." He gave her a hard look, but nodded.

"Friends?" He offered.

"Yes." She accepted, thanking God as she said it that nobody had walked in on them during that moment of madness. And sure enough, a moment later, Moss returned to the room.

"We don't need the food to burn." He said jovially, not seeming to notice the atmosphere of the room. Jack scooped up his bottle of rum and departed, and Katie followed in a different direction, wandering towards the helm where Teague stood. The old pirate's presence was strangely calming and that was definitely what she felt she needed at that moment in time.

_**A/N: Hello everyone and thanks for reading if you've gotten this far! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as it's quite integral to the plotline overall. I don't plan to rush this storyline though so sit tight! Somebody reviewed and asked if this is going to be Jack/OC or Jack/Angelica. I forgot to reply, but I don't want to give any spoilers away. The main pairing is in the description, though. But Angelica is definitely going to be an important character for this story! Don't you worry!**_


	4. Pirata Codex

_**A/N: I lied by accident at the end of the last chapter. I didn't state the pairing anywhere (I thought I had) and now you're probably even more confused. But I've changed the description anyway now, so if you're new to this, you've probably got a better idea of where this is going. If not, read the new summary. Also, I updated the rating to M just to be safe, though I don't plan for anything too graphic to happen, I'd rather be safe than sorry. And in any case, if anything that might really warrant an M rating does happen, it's unlikely to be until much later in the story.**_

**CHAPTER FOUR: Pirata Codex**

Jack was leaning over the edge of the ship. It was the middle of the night but the storm had become so violent that sleep was impossible. He let the flecks of water hit his face, cold and aggressive. He'd sobered up hours ago and was back to worrying about Angelica.

"Damn Spaniard." He mumbled to himself. He recalled the first time he'd met her, accidentally bursting into her bedroom at the convent, the way her dark hair had tumbled over her shoulders onto the virginal white nightgown. She hadn't screamed or shouted for help, but had aided his escape. He had gone back to that place every day, drawing her into his web. He'd known very well he was seducing her, taking her away from the church, but he hadn't cared. He'd been successful and he remembered night after balmy night, when he had devoured her body. And he remembered long days spent teaching her to swordfight, with her teaching him how to be considerate and gentle. Those were lessons he had kept with him in future dealings with women.

He was sure he wasn't in love with her anymore. Those… stirrings that had returned to him had been nothing else. She was vengeful and cruel in her dealings, nothing like the girl he had once loved. He couldn't stand a hypocrite, and she was certainly one of those. She never said what she meant but expected his honesty and devotion…

Katie always said what she meant. He thought of her now as a close friend, someone he trusted, because she was truthful and had helped him. She also had a spine of steel. Why had he kissed her? He was kicking himself mentally even thinking about it. The kiss had been hungry and passionate, but all wrong. He had decided he would never betray another friend after Angelica, but he had betrayed her by coveting her, even if only for a moment. Luckily she had been forgiving. But he wasn't sure he was willing to forgive himself yet, either for kissing her or for leaving that jezebel Angelica somewhere she could escape from and wreak havoc.

"Don't beat yerself up, son." Teague seemed to appear out of nowhere beside him, like always. Jack barely jumped.

"What?"

"Katie was all in a fluster earlier too. She didn't say anything but I weren't born yesterday."

"Oh… that…" Jack shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Any luck with that compass?"

"I 'ave an idea of where the _Dutchman_ is. Only you can find the _Pearl_ though, Jackie."

"I can't get the Pearl back without Will anyway. He can raise her from that bottle." Jack pointed out.

"Well that's all the more reason to find Turner isn't it? If I know you, Jackie, all you really want is your ship back, if only to run away from us." Teague gave him a knowing look. "Spent half your teenage years running away from me, in particular."

"I was a rebel." Jack grinned.

"You're still a reprobate."

"So are you." Teague grinned back at this, patting Jack on the shoulder and laughing.

"Aye, that I am. But I never beat myself up about the past, Jackie, and that's what you're doing. I can see it in your face, boy. I know a little about Angelica, and I know she's a force to be reckoned with. Nobody blames you." Jack nodded and Teague walked away, probably to bed, despite the rumbles of thunder and the violently tossing waves. The rain was becoming heavier too, but Jack ignored it.

"Nobody to blame but me." Captain Jack Sparrow was many things but one thing he'd never been before was self-pitying.

It took a few weeks before they neared the Caribbean, and those weeks felt far too long to Jack on the uneventful Atlantic Ocean. At least with their original plan, he and Katie would have been ship hopping and seeing different sights. But now he had no choice but the constant watchful gaze of Teague and the mounting dread he felt as he knew he drew closer to the day he'd have to confront Angelica. That might not be for a long time yet but he knew it was coming, and that was quite bad enough. Not to mention the Brethren Court. Katie was interested in knowing more about the latter now, and Teague consented to show her the Pirate Code. The thick volume travelled with Teague wherever he went and it was important Katie understood the long and short of it, especially when it came to parley and the distribution of treasure.

"The articles vary from crew to crew, but generally captain gets two shares of the treasure, as does the first mate, and the quarter master and boatswain get one share and a half. The rest of the crew gets a share and a quarter." Teague informed Katie. Jack was wandering around Teague's office as they spoke, picking up random objects and examining things. "The most important thing to remember is, if you're marooned you get one pistol with one shot. If you come to be captured by another crew you have the right of parley, where you get to talk to the captain without harm comin' to ye."

"I hadn't even thought about treasure." Katie said truthfully.

"Your mind's been elsewhere." Teague nodded. Everyday Katie had helped Moss prepare the food for the crew, and she had also taken to crow's nest duty. She was also not above helping to scrub the deck, though Teague had caught some of the crew members staring at her behind as she bent over to do so and had set her to less vulnerable tasks. The crew had in fact behaved very well towards Katie, considering, and were only now starting to get antsy. He thought they'd better make port somewhere soon as they needed supplies and to blow off some steam.

As if he could hear his father's thoughts, Jack piped up, "We can't be more than a few day's hard sailing from Tortuga now."

"You're right, Jackie, if we bear south-east and the wind is with us it should be three days."

"I'd never heard of Tortuga." Katie said mildly. Jack smiled, flashing his gold teeth at her.

"It's the best place in the world, love." He informed her, then paused, "Maybe not for a woman, though."

"Definitely no place for a lady." Teague agreed.

"I stopped being a lady when I left London." Katie informed them firmly, but Jack shook his head.

"Nah… you'll be alright with us, love, but it's full of the bilge of the rest of the Caribbean. Criminals, exiles, wenches." Katie frowned up at him as he circled the desk she and Teague were sat at.

"When did you get all protective?"

"I believe back in France, when we agreed we'd pretend we were married." Jack retorted playfully. Katie rolled her eyes, having almost forgotten that farce, though not quite the incident of seeing Jack partially unclothed. His leg had healed almost completely now, with the regular application of alcohol to prevent infection. The skin was knitted back together, though there was still a dip beneath where the bullet had gauged him.

"That agreement could come in handy." Teague announced, getting to his feet and seizing the guitar leant against the desk. He made his way towards his sleeping quarters.

"What do you mean?" Jack called. His father looked back at him.

"Think on it, Jackie. By the way, when we get to Tortuga don't even _think _about running away. You have to start preparing for the idea Calypso might turn against us again, unless we catch up to Angelica first." The door shut behind the old man, leaving Jack staring after him, apparently aghast. He turned around slowly after a moment and stared instead at Katie, who was still examining the _Pirata Codex._

"_Angelica,_" He muttered, "Us. Married. Aha!" Katie jumped at his last exclamation as she hadn't been listening. "Katie, you and I should pretend we're married again, to ward Angelica off!"

"Ward her off?" Katie giggled, "Like she's a vampire?"

"She might as well be a vampire!"

"Come on, it makes sense Katie. I can't let myself be swept away by her… sorcery." He muttered the last part. Katie felt a strange prickle of annoyance, but she wasn't sure why. Ignoring it, she looked at the practicalities: if Jack was her supposed husband, and they really were heading to a town of debauchery, she'd probably get along a lot better than if she appeared as she really was, a young, unmarried woman.

"Alright, I'll do it." She agreed. Jack squeezed her shoulder as he sauntered past her.

"I need to get some sword-fighting practise in, so excuse me." He said, exiting through the opposite door to Teague's. Katie sighed before getting to her feet herself and heading towards the kitchen, where Moss was sure to be preparing dinner.

It occurred to neither of them that Teague had put this plan of action into Jack's mind so that he would behave himself on Tortuga and not be distracted from the task at hand.

They made port in Tortuga on schedule around three days later, just as the sun was setting. The crew were excitable and had been talking of nothing but drinking and women since their stop-off had been announced. Teague had warned them that they would be setting off the following night and that any man who fell behind would be left behind. The old Captain didn't disembark himself though. Katie was reluctant to step off the ship either, given what she'd heard about the town, but Jack insisted and she couldn't help but see the benefits of standing on solid land for the first time in weeks.

The crew had all agreed to go along with their fake marriage and to spread the word in the hopes it would get back to Angelica; it was bound to, in a town full of pirates, so now it was just up to Jack and Katie to act the part. He took her into an inn called The Faithful Bride, where everyone seemed to know who he was and he knew everyone. Katie could feel every eye on her, particularly those belonging to females, and was both amused and slightly mollified to feel that their gazes were jealous. Jack was attractive and many of these women looked forward to his visits.

Jack seemed to finally be realising that he was unable to partake in his usual activities in Tortuga. He took it in his stride, buying rum for himself and a glass of wine for Katie. She still wouldn't touch rum and he was interested to see the effect alcohol would have on her. They sat in a corner and Katie watched as the prostitutes touted their business without shame, flirting indiscriminately with disgusting old men and nervous looking younger men, some of them barely out of their teens.

"How do they _do_ that?" Katie wondered aloud as she watched a blonde woman kissing a man, her tongue entering his mouth.

"What do you mean, love?" Jack asked.

"Just… I mean, she looks as if she… well, is enjoying it. But she doesn't know him."

"You barely knew me." Jack pointed out, though he spoke before he'd thought. Katie's eyes went very round; since the event, neither of them had mentioned their kiss. And she distinctly remembered Jack's tongue on hers now, and the way she had wanted his hands on her… he watched as her face turned red. "I'm sorry," He said sincerely, unused to seeing her embarrassed, "I didn't mean it that way."

"Jack you know if you… want to… do… something," She struggled, as the prudishness her upbringing had taught her had not faded, "You can… I'll go back to the _Troubadour_."

"I can't do anything, love," He said calmly, "We're married, remember?"

"People expect it of you. I heard two women saying I was stupid if I thought you'd be faithful." Katie admitted. She wasn't sure why their saying that unsettled her, although it did just that. She was not blind to what Jack was.

"We need to make this," He indicated the pair of them, "As believable as possible. I have to appear so head-over-heels in love with you that I'm totally unavailable." Oh how he wanted to be available. Cracks in the side of the ship were beginning to look interesting to him, though of course he didn't tell Katie that. She seemed to sense his restlessness, though, or she wouldn't have given him permission to find a whore. Katie wasn't sure what to say now, in any case, so she sipped her wine. It was pleasant, but strong, and it was the first time she'd had any in a while.

"So tell me, Katie, somethin' I don't know about you." Jack said, his nonchalant manner returning to him.

"Hmm…" She replied, sipping her wine again, "There's lots you don't know about me."

"Just one thing? I can't be married to a woman I know nothing about." He teased, leaning across the table at her. His eyes seemed to glow then and it didn't occur to Katie that it was because he wanted them to; usually Jack refrained from flirting with her as they were friends. "What about your parents? You've met my Dad."

"My father is a lawyer." Katie said, "My mother was born in Ireland."

"Oh, so O'Connor is your mother's maiden name." Jack remembered how she had hesitated before giving O'Connor as her surname when he first asked her. Obviously she was hiding her association with her father, for some reason, most likely because she didn't want to be as easy to track down.

"Yes." She blinked at him.

"What is your father's name?"

"I've already said too much." Katie responded quickly, shaking her head. "I never meant to tell anybody anything about my family… ever."

"Why not?" Jack enquired quietly, leaning closer, resting one hand on her arm. "You can tell me."

"I can't."

"You can't talk about your family, or you can't tell me?" Katie hesitated. She had learned to trust Jack, and he had certainly trusted her when he told her about his history with Angelica, not to mention his feelings. Now she knew him better, she found Jack liked to pretend he had no feelings at all, so she knew it had been difficult for him. Still…

"I can't talk about my family." She decided finally, "I don't _want_ to talk about them. Can we please discuss something else?" Jack sighed, knowing defeat when he saw it. Katie looked around again. A fight had broken out on the other side of the room, and tables were being flipped over in the process, a large amount of noise involved. Yet hardly anyone even looked twice.

"Tortuga is like this all the time." Jack chuckled, seeing her confused expression at the lack of reaction from the rest of the clientele. The wench nearby was still embracing the same man, though straddling his lap and thrusting in a very crude way now through his breeches. Katie looked quickly away. "They'll go upstairs in a minute." Jack reassured her. Katie shrugged and took a much larger swig of wine than before. Jack smiled at this and raised his own flagon of rum for a moment, before draining it completely. Katie watched in slight disbelief.

"Drink up," He said, "And we can go for a walk. I can see you're uncomfortable, savvy?" He added this when she gave him a questioning look.

"You don't have to-"

"-There's nothing here for me, anyway." He interrupted firmly. "I can take rum with me." She swallowed her wine extremely quickly after that, eager to depart. When she stood up she actually swayed slightly. Jack's hand went to the small of her back automatically, steadying her.

"I'm fine, I just stood up too fast." She lied. A hazy, pleasant feeling was starting to flow through her and she wasn't ready to give it up. She had never drunk just for the pleasure of it before. Jack led her outside and down the narrow street, back towards the dock, just as they had walked through the streets of the town in France which felt so long ago now. Except now Jack was holding her hand, both to live up to the rumour they were hoping to spread and to put off the drunk men who called out to any girl they saw walking down these streets.

Eventually they reached the place where the ground flowed into pleasant, soft sand. Jack let go of her hand here, as it was deserted, but they walked side by side in silence. Jack occasionally placed the stolen rum bottle to his lips. He was a dark shape on a slightly lighter background, his characteristic walk the only identifying feature she could see.

They came to a stop some way up the empty beach, and Katie flopped down onto the sand. Jack sat beside her, cross legged. He was surprised to feel her small hand tugging at the bottle, but he handed it to her nonetheless. Through the darkness he watched her take a swig then heard her cough and shudder in disgust. He laughed.

"Don't be mean," Katie chastised him, "It's you who keeps nagging me to try it."

"It takes some getting used to, is all." Katie took another, smaller sip of it and found she could tolerate the burn a little better that way, feeling it burning in her throat and chest. She took another sip. "You might wanna slow down, love." He told her.

"I'll decide when to stop." She snapped. He shrugged, although she couldn't see this, and turned to face out to sea. Suddenly he felt that this was going to be a very long night, maybe the longest he'd ever spent in Tortuga.

**A/N: I realise this is the third upload in less than 24 hours, but I've been doing nothing but write all day because I'm ill! This one was a fun chapter to write though, so the time passed pretty quickly. I decided I might as well post it! The story is hotting up! So please drop me a review, it would be greatly appreciated.**


	5. Hunt The Whelp

**CHAPTER FIVE: Hunt the Whelp**

Katie was drunk. She'd been tipsy before, but not drunk. She shifted closer to Jack on a whim, feeling that her body was sluggish in reacting to her brain's commands. Jack laughed at her again and put a steadying hand on her back once more, as he had done earlier in The Faithful Bride. She could feel his hand through the dress she wore, and it was warm.

"You really oughtn't have said that, earlier, you know." She told him, slurring her words slightly.

"Said what, love?" He asked her, the laughter still in his voice a little.

"Mentioned the time we kissed."

"I told you I was sorry." He reminded her, sounding a little more serious now.

"Yes but I didn't even tell you off." Jack prised the forgotten rum from Katie's hand and took a swig.

"Fair enough, tell me off, lass." He said kindly.

"Nah." She said informally, and he couldn't help but chuckle once more. The wind blew a tendril of her auburn locks against his cheek and his mind wondered once more to the territory he tried to forbid from it lately- one where he would run his hand through that hair. Or the thick, dark hair of a Spanish convent girl, whose luscious lips would wander across his skin… "You can't forget about her, can you?"

"Hm?" He asked, still deep in reverie.

"Angelica. You think about her all the time." Katie replied. She always had a knack of knowing what he was thinking about, somehow, and he found it unnerving as it always presented itself at the most inappropriate time.

"It's hard not to think about someone when they've got the Goddess of the Sea hanging over yer 'ead as a threat, love." Jack told her.

"It's not those kinds of thoughts." Jack was becoming uncomfortable now, as uneasy as Katie had been when on the subject of her family. He sought a subject change, but one couldn't come quickly enough to mind. "You love her, Jack."

"I don't." He stated, his mouth dry.

"You do. I can see it. Anyone can see it." Katie insisted.

"You've 'ad a lot to drink-" Jack began.

"You should forget about her." Katie sighed, laying her head on his shoulder. Although she was fairly tactile, she didn't usually do this kind of thing and he was taken aback by it so much so that his confession was out of his mouth before he could stop it:

"I'm not _in love_ with 'er," He said, "But we have a lot of history… I can't put that away like it didn't happen."

"So you love her, but you aren't in love with her." Katie concluded quietly, her eyes beginning to drop. "You should forget her, anyway. She's trouble… and you could do better…"

Katie had fallen asleep.

She woke up to find the sunlight piercing through her eyelids. As she turned onto her side, her head gave a huge twinge of pain that made her gasp out loud, sitting up quickly, which in turn caused her to throw up. A pair of hands pulled her hair out of her face gently, a swarthy, strong pair of hands which felt calloused and rough as they brushed her skin. When she was finished vomiting, she looked around to find Jack was the one holding her hair back. Instantly she was horrified.

"I'm so sorry!" She gasped.

"It's alright, love." Jack smiled. "How are you feelin'?"

"Terrible." Katie admitted, groaning. "And thirsty."

"We'll get you some water, love." He helped her to her feet and she followed him, frowning, as he made his way back up the beach towards the town. Although she had definitely been inebriated the previous night, she remembered everything they'd said, or at least the general gist of it. She also remembered trying to tell Jack he deserved better than to love someone as cold hearted as Angelica, but she didn't think it'd come out right, somehow. Jack glanced back and noticed her frowning. "Are you alright there?" He was being very kind to her, whether because of his confession or because she was hungover, she wasn't quite sure.

"I hope nobody saw me… the way I was." Katie sighed. "That'd be embarrassing."

"As far as the townsfolk know, we went for a romantic stroll on the beach and fell asleep in each other's arms." Jack assured her, laughing at the idea of himself being romantic. That would shock Angelica when the news reached her more than the marriage.

"God." Katie cursed to nobody in particular. They reached a well and Jack filled the empty rum bottle with clean water. Katie drank gratefully, feeling it quench the desert in her mouth. She also used some of the water to rinse out the taste of the vomit. She was still quite unsettled that she'd been sick. She was never sick, even when ill- hadn't been since childhood, and certainly not from too much alcohol.

"Captain Sparrow!" A man called, approaching them at the edge of the busy well. He looked quite well-to-do for someone from Tortuga, and this made Katie tense. She was at least enough of pirate now to feel threatened by anyone who might be an authority figure. "Aha!" The man cried, seeing Katie, "This is your lovely wife, is it? I hardly believed the gossip- forgive me," He added, bowing to her, "I don't mean to cast aspersions upon your husband." She nodded, not sure if she could trust herself to speak.

"Yeah, this is Katie." Jack stated, placing an arm around her waist and squeezing playfully. "How do I find you, John?" He turned to Katie now, "John owns The Faithful Bride and quite few other local businesses." He explained, and her reluctance towards the man cleared.

"I'm well, I'm well." John replied, "Our usual deal then?"

"Yeah, have it loaded on the _Troubadour._" John looked surprised.

"The- the _Troubadour_? Isn't that Teague's ship?" He gulped at the name. Katie found this amusing because she had gotten to know Teague quite well and couldn't imagine being afraid of him as this man clearly was- but then, she remembered some of the old stories she had heard of deeds Teague had done and realised for the second time that morning that her position had changed enough that she was now thinking like a fellow pirate, not a civilian, and so her worries were very different.

"Aye, that's the one!" Jack grinned cheerfully, and steered Katie away with some vague excuse about breakfast. She gave Jack a strange look when they got out of earshot. "Not many people know Teague is my father- and we prefer it that way."

The 'usual deal' turned out to be that the ship would be loaded up with rum and food in exchange for the pirates frequenting John's inns- and advertising them by word of mouth. By the time they were ready to set sail at sundown, there was such an abundance of food and drink that the huge table in the cabin was practically groaning. The crew tucked into chicken, sweetmeats, fruit and pies with reckless abandon and a lack of manners. Katie was used to this by now and made sure she had a full stomach and made a quick exit. If you weren't quick to eat, you simply didn't.

She went down to the kitchen where Moss was tidying up. When he heard her enter, he grinned.

"I heard you had fun last night." He said. She scowled at him.

"I don't think I would call that fun."

"No, but you'll do it again. We all do it again, every time." Moss smiled. Katie rolled her eyes and perched on one of the barrels standing around the edge of the kitchen. "You'll be back in Tortuga before long, once Jack has the _Pearl_ back. He'll go there to recruit a crew."

"I know. He's already planning it." She sighed. "But it depends on when we find the _Flying Dutchman_- or _if_ we find it." She had come to learn that that ship was no ordinary vessel- it could travel underwater, appear wherever the Captain wished it, and many other supernatural things besides. Katie had never been superstitious before she went to sea, but now she was learning that anything was possible. The stories she had always disregarded as ghost stories designed to scare children were all true, and so now she accepted everything without question.

"You could settle on an island somewhere- you don't _have_ to be a pirate." Moss said, interpreting her facial expression. It had occurred to Katie, too, that she didn't have to go on this quest to track down Will Turner, recall the Brethren Court and prevent Angelica from summoning Calypso. But something she had no name for was forcing her to stay on this mission until the very end- she wanted this Angelica beaten, at any cost. The prize she wanted- the Pirate Lordship of the Caribbean Sea, plus the power of the sea itself in her hands- it was too high a price to pay for the rest of them.

"I said I'd go, and so I will go." Katie said, her voice sounding distant. Moss peered at her. She was, he had learnt, around the same age as him. It hadn't taken as much time to figure that she was attractive, and he felt he was slowly falling for her. But whenever he got remotely close, she seemed to shut down. She was that way with everyone. He didn't have the secret key to women's hearts or the ability to seduce anybody, and so he just went on in budding but silent hope that somehow she loved him, too.

"I'm sure Captain Teague would keep you around, if you wanted." Moss added, buoyantly.

"Oh…" She knew Moss was right, but she was on this journey because of Jack. Besides she was now an integral part of the ploy, because Angelica had to believe Jack was in love with Katie. The latter drifted from the kitchen then, up onto the silent deck of the ship, without another word. The moon was huge and bright in the sky and as the rest of the crew were still eating the deck was serene, as was the sea. Jack had acted with nothing but consideration towards her since they'd first met, barring the odd daring comment and of course the time they'd kissed. Tortuga had been a weird experience during the day, with Jack touting her about as his wife, kissing her on the cheek in public and playfully poking fun at her.

She hadn't quite been able to relax into the act, however, because she always felt so self-aware around him, especially if he got too close. It felt like every hair on the back of her neck stood up and every nerve-end tingled when he was near. She had been unable to rip her mind away from the memory of his lips on hers since he'd mentioned it, and excited swooping sensations in her lower stomach gave her the feeling that she wanted him to kiss her again… to do more than kiss her…

Katie shook her head. This was wanton lust. She didn't believe in heaven and hell, but she did believe it was incredibly stupid to lust after any man, and Jack Sparrow in particular was a bad choice. He was her best friend in the world now, and in any case he didn't want her that way. He'd told her. Her knuckles turned white, she was gripping the side of the ship so tight at that thought.

"What's wrong, love?" Jack was behind her. Of course he was. She lowered her head, shaking her hair over her face to cover it.

"Nothing's wrong," Katie lied boldly, "I was just thinking."

"I'm sorry if you found me too forward, earlier." Jack said frankly, again demonstrating his ability to always be able to tell what she was thinking about. Katie of course didn't realise she often took him by surprise in the same way. He stood beside her, leaning against the ship, facing her as she stared out to sea. "I don't mean any disrespect."

"I know you don't." Katie replied dimly.

"Katie… you tell me what's wrong." Jack was commanding her now, the ring of authority in his voice. She'd heard it before, but never directed at her.

"I don't know." She sighed, "Really." Jack did something even more unexpected than bossing her around then- he hugged her. In a moment she was surrounded by Jack, the smell of sea salt, sweat and something she couldn't identify enveloping her. She breathed it in, her head spinning. His arms were strong and firm, pressing her into him, and something brushed her hair. She wondered if it had been his lips.

"You'll be alright, Katie. You're brave, and beautiful, and you know what you want. And by God, you'll get what you want, whatever it is. I see it in you, lass." The truth was, she hadn't known what she wanted until that moment, but as she tilted her head back to look him in the face, his arms still wrapped around her, suddenly she found she _did_ know.

Jack gazed down at her. Her lips were parted slightly and her hair had fallen back from her face as she looked up at him and he had the strangest sensation that he was falling from a great height.

"You called me beautiful again." She said.

"Well, you are." He shrugged carelessly. He was just stating a fact, that was all. Katie suddenly seemed to snap out of whatever peculiar mood she was in then and she disentangled herself from his arms.

"Isn't the _Flying Dutchman_ most likely to be somewhere that a lot of people die at sea?" She asked, abruptly matter-of-fact. Jack looked a little punch-drunk.

"What? Oh, aye… seems logical." He agreed, catching up to her line of thought. "We 'ad a good bearing for 'er a few days ago, but of course she keeps moving…" He gave her a weird look and then shrugged, walking a few paces away from Katie. "We're bound to meet 'er eventually, Kate. If Bootstrap's reading the signs… 'e'll tell the Whelp where to meet us." It was not the first time he had referred to Will Turner as 'the Whelp', but Katie was determined not to ask; a lot of the time, with Jack, you would only become more confused by the answer. "Keep a weather eye on the horizon, savvy?"

_**A/N: I know I've been uploading a lot, but it's all good! I know this chapter ended kind of abruptly, and sorry about that but it was getting long and rambling. Things are about to get dramatic, so look out for that! Please leave me a review and let me know if you're enjoying it so far! **_


	6. Teague's Troubles

_**A/N: This chapter deviates from the canon, but only in one way: Elizabeth and Will haven't had a child. Will Jnr was shown in the epilogue of AWE, but I have to mess with the timeline just a little to make this story work, so if William Turner III happens, it'll be later. Sorry!**_

**CHAPTER SIX: Teague's Troubles**

Teague was at the helm, steering the ship across some particularly large and pushy waves, when the hole in the sea appeared. Keeping his scarred and gnarled hands on the wheel, he squinted with cat-like eyes towards the gap in the ocean. The waves were now like a wall either side of an empty sea bed, and unlike anything he'd seen before. And worst, the gap was right before the _Troubadour_, which was being born towards it by the tide. Swinging the wheel all the way round, the boom swung with it. Crew members ducked to avoid it, then turned to find the reason why. And within a second, without needing orders, they were all hastily rushing to the sails. At the last moment, just before they were about to tilt totally forwards and fall hundreds of feet to the bottom of the sea, the ship was turned to starboard, and then against the wind, away from the terrifying gaping hole.

Jack came sprinting to his father's side. A sudden, deafening silence seemed to fill the air, cutting off the sound of the sea and leaving only their voices. The crew were peering at each other nervous, afraid.

"You know what this means, Jackie?" Teague asked his son seriously in his low growl. Jack nodded slowly. Katie was a few paces behind the men, gazing upwards at the darkening sky.

"We're too late, aren't we?" She whispered, though everyone heard her through the crisp, clear silence. The clouds seemed to be clearing now, rushing backwards out of sight to be replaced by the same blue sky as before. The sea went crashing back into the gap that had formed so suddenly, and the _Troubadour_ shifted as the large but serene waves picked it back up again. The sound returned too, just as suddenly as it had disappeared.

"We're not too late," Teague told her grimly, "But that was a warning from Calypso. She knows she's being sought." Katie bit her lip, her eyes straying to Jack, who still had his back to her. It seemed that he had been avoiding her for the past couple of weeks, ever since that night he had held her. For the first time on this voyage, Katie was scared. She had listened to the others' stories of the heathen Goddess of the Sea, the power of her fury and of her love, the story of how she had been set free, yet she hadn't understood the magnitude of it until then, the way the totally normal, peaceful day had changed as if at the flip of a lever. Katie was about to say something but was interrupted by a crew member by the name of Sandy, who was on crow's nest duty.

"SHIP! LARBOARD! ON THE HORIZON! IT'S NOT FLYIN' ANY COLOURS, CAP'N!" Sandy bellowed from above. Teague immediately pulled out his telescope, and Jack and Katie squinted over the right hand side of the ship. Indeed, a set of ragged sales had appeared on the horizon and was sailing straight towards them- out of shock they had not yet turned the ship back onto its original course.

"They be signalling to stop, stand guard, weapons at the ready! You can never be too careful!" Teague ordered. Jack loosened the sword in his scabbard. He'd thought it was strange that thus far they'd hardly encountered any other ships in these parts, barring a few merchant vessels which they had pillaged with no difficulty. As it drew closer, Jack recognised the ship.

"That's the _Empress_!" Teague gave the command to throw down the anchors and the ship came to a stop as the _Empress_ came up beside them. A chubby Oriental man stood at the edge of the ship, hanging from the rigging.

"Our Captain seeks audience with the Captain Teague!" He called clearly. Katie glanced once again at Jack.

"Come aboard!" Teague granted. A slighter figure emerged from behind the other _Empress_ crew members, seizing one of the ropes and swinging across. It was only when the figure landed a few feet away that Katie realised the figure was a woman. And not just any woman, but…

"Captain Swann, it's a pleasure." Teague greeted, tipping his hat to the woman. She was probably a couple of years older than Katie, with a tanned face framed by brown hair bleached blonde by the sun. She wore Chinese-style battle dress and carried a Jian and a cutlass, as well as a single pistol in her belt. Her features were aristocratic, though she gave off the unmistakeable air of someone who was tough and capable of taking care of themselves. This was the famous Elizabeth.

"It's Captain Turner, actually." Elizabeth said. "Oh, you're here, Jack. A lot of people have been wondering where you've gotten to." There was a definite trace of sarcasm in her voice. Jack raised a finger in the air.

"I've been looking for your dear husband. Again." He told her, "You should keep 'im on a shorter leash, love."

"I have a bone to pick with you, too, now it comes to it." Elizabeth declared. "But first I must ask- is _your _wife keeping you on a short leash, Jack?" Katie gave a little start of surprise as everyone turned to look at her. She glanced at Jack out of the corner of her eye and she saw him nod: so they were to include Elizabeth in the lie.

"I don't need to be kept on a short lease- I 'ave eyes for nobody else." Jack declared, "Katie, meet Elizabeth." Katie approached Elizabeth smoothly, giving no sign of her previous uncertainty. She met Elizabeth's light brown eyes and saw the kindness in them as they shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs Sparrow." Elizabeth said. Katie had to supress a snort, but she returned Elizabeth's smile. For some reason, the two women immediately recognised each other as friends.

"Just call me Katie." Katie replied firmly. The idea of being referred to as 'Mrs Sparrow' was just too much.

"Well, perhaps we should get down to business." Elizabeth looked at Teague, who nodded in agreement. The pair began to head towards the Captain's quarters, and Jack subtly tried to melt into the background. However, Teague turned round at the last moment.

"You're coming too, boy." He growled. Jack scurried after his father, to the general amusement of the rest of the crew. Once the three of them were inside and the door was shut, Elizabeth rounded on Jack.

"Why is it as soon as I heard that the Brethren Court were to be summoned that it'd have something to do with you?" She demanded.

"Search me, love." Jack held out his arms in mock innocence, and Elizabeth punched him in the shoulder. Jack frowned, rubbing the place she'd hit as she turned away. Teague chuckled at the scene, sitting on his throne-like chair. "You didn't 'ave to come. I thought you was livin' on land."

"I'm Pirate Lord of the South China sea. I had no choice." Elizabeth informed him through gritted teeth. "Luckily most of Sao Feng's old crew remained loyal to me- and you might be interested to know I've also come across Cotton and Marty, too."

"A question I have for you, Mrs Turner, is where is your dear husband?" Teague asked, breaking up the argument before it could go any further.

"I've been wondering that myself. Although if Calypso is leaving messages around and Will's heard I'm at sea, I'm sure he will be wherever I am sooner or later." Elizabeth answered. "It's another five years before he can set foot on land, you see." As Elizabeth and Teague began to talk strategy, Jack watched her, remembering the first time they'd met- he'd saved her from drowning, kidnapped her and then agreed to rescue her all in the space of a day. Back then she'd been very uptight and proper, always doing what her father wished and agreeing to marry a Commodore. The years had altered her to a tough woman, though she'd always been stubborn and free-thinking. He had even at one point begun to admire her, any red blooded male would… but then came that day she had tied him to his own ship and left him for the kraken, and by and by the Locker. He had never entirely forgiven her for that. The whole experience had changed him, had damaged him more than he'd like to admit. He had accepted that she had been doing it for the right reasons, and known she was sorry despite what she'd told him because she had ultimately come to rescue him from that purgatory… but it was a hard thing to forget, all the same.

It was agreed that the ships would remain anchored for the night in this stretch of sea, to see if Will would track them down. The waves had calmed down considerably over the afternoon, and Elizabeth remained aboard for a few hours, looking around the legendary _Troubadour_.

Katie found herself sat on the steps leading from the deck leading up to the helm, watching with amusement as Sandy and another crew member practised sword fighting, clumsily ducking and diving all over the place and making much more of a theatrical show of it than was strictly necessary for her entertainment. She barely noticed Elizabeth had sat down beside her before she spoke:  
>"So how did you and Jack meet?" She asked Katie warmly.<p>

"We met in London," Katie answered automatically, still watching the practise, "We met and I…" She paused, realising she needed to be convincing. "I loved him immediately. He was just so… exciting. And I… I ran away with him. That night."

"An elopement," Elizabeth smiled, "How romantic."

"Yes, it was." Katie agreed vaguely.

"How are you finding a pirates life?"

"I'm getting used to it," Katie replied, relieved to be back on safe ground again conversationally. She turned and looked at Elizabeth. "It's better than what I left behind in a lot of ways, and everyone here is kind to me. Besides, I've learnt an awful lot that I never would have done, back home."

"And Jack takes care of you?" Elizabeth's tone had changed a little. It took Katie a moment to recognise the tone was one of concern.

"Very good care. He does everything for me, I… I couldn't have survived without him, otherwise. I never would have known how to live this life." None of this was a lie- and Katie was not a good liar, anyway. Elizabeth seemed to appreciate the sincerity because she placed a hand on Katie's arm.

"I'm glad. Jack is a good man… he doesn't always show it, but he is." The pair of them glanced over at him. He was drinking rum, predictably, with another crew member, not an apparent care in the world showed on his face. "I'm glad to find you're real- not just a zany rumour, as I suspected. Please don't take this the wrong way, but when I heard someone had tamed the eternal bachelor, it sounded an awful lot like a ploy to try and convince Angelica he was unavailable." Katie laughed at this, because it was of course the truth.

"He does have a terrible reputation." She managed to say.

"Well, it's just good to have female company. And any woman who can pin him down- that's a woman I can admire." There was a strange tone to Elizabeth's voice when she said it, and Katie felt a pang of irritation. Was there no woman whom had no romantic attraction to Jack?

"Did you and he ever…?" Katie asked. Elizabeth's eyebrows jumped upwards. "You can tell me, I'm just curious. I'm not a stranger to his old womanising ways."

"We kissed, once. But there was no… feeling there." Elizabeth swallowed. "Believe me." Katie didn't understand, not having heard the full version of the story of Jack and the kraken, but the annoyance vanished. She wondered vaguely why it had ever bothered her- it wasn't as if Jack was her real husband. "I ought to get back to my ship. It's been nice meeting you, Katie. I hope we'll be friends." Katie smiled as Elizabeth squeezed her hand before departing.

The afternoon faded into evening and there was a party atmosphere aboard the two vessels. Pirates swung between the two, drank rum, and fought and hugged like siblings. Jack noticed that Katie spent most of the evening talking to Moss. Although he was avoiding her as much as possible, and continued to do so that evening, he did find himself watching their pair out of the corner of his eye. This didn't go unnoticed by Teague. He had realised a lot about his son on this voyage: and the first and most obvious thing was how much Jack had changed. He still had his eccentric mannerisms and loved his rum, but even the toughest nut was bound to crack a little when they'd spent the best part of the last twenty years running away from curses, fighting the navy and being repeatedly captured by and then escaping the authorities. Besides, there was one thing that Jack had never admitted to even himself: Angelica had broken his heart. He didn't recognise heartbreak for what it was, because he had spent his entire life refusing to make emotional bonds with people. But the Locker had shaken his confidence and Angelica had stamped all over his heart, and Jack was still recovering.

Captain Teague moved his fingers up and down the fret-board of his guitar, playing a song he knew so well his hands knew the right notes without him needing to listen. Katie had not revealed anything to him about her past, nor her reason for wanting to leave it all behind.

Katie tended to follow through with anything they said without question, and was eager to get stuck into any task she was set, so he felt no need to query her. She had grown quite close to Teague, looking to him almost as a father figure of sorts herself, but she didn't confide in him. He had not forgotten his early observation of her; she did indeed remind him of his wife, Jack's mother, and she reminded him more of her every day. Teague was beginning to hope Jack would, like father like son, fall for Katie. She would be the ideal woman, and the only kind of woman Jack would be able to settle for. They may be pretending marriage now, but someday, if Teague had his wish, it would be a true marriage. He supposed he might be growing old and sentimental in his old age, but perhaps it was just common sense. After all, Jack couldn't be shrivelled up over Angelica forever, and he was sure the only reason Jack had been willing to fake marriage to Katie in the first place was because he was not quite ready to get back into the saddle and seek dalliances with other women. When that day came, Katie would be right there, and perhaps Jack would seek her.

Teague was definitely becoming sentimental. He decided so as he set his guitar to one side and heaved himself to his feet. The crew needed to get to sleep if they were to haul anchor in the morning.


	7. The Black Pearl

**CHAPTER SEVEN: The Black Pearl**

The _Empress_ and the _Troubdaour_ set sail as a pair just as the sun rose. Many of the crew had dastardly hangovers and were not best pleased to be forced from their hammocks so early, but Teague told them in no uncertain terms that the deck could do with a good scrub if they felt like they were no good for sailing. Katie was with Moss in the kitchen as usual, preparing a stew that would last for the next two days of meals. They were getting low on supplies again, and Katie was expecting griping from the crew about the fact the stew was all vegetables.

"How is married life going?" Moss grinned as the pair of them peeled potatoes.

"Oh, wonderful." Katie responded sarcastically. Moss laughed but Katie didn't seem in the slightest bit amused. He recalled that she had drunk rum again the previous night, though in a far lesser quantity than the night in Tortuga.

"Most of Captain Swann's crew seem convinced, anyway," Moss offered, in a bid to cheer her up, "We were all telling them how loved up you both are, and how it turns our stomachs." Katie did smile at this, though it was a slightly rueful smile, based on the irony of the fact Jack barely seemed to speak to her these days. Moss didn't realise this though, and instead was too busy thinking how pretty she looked when she smiled. "It should take us no time to locate the _Dutchman_ now though."

"Yes but it's risky for two pirate ships to be in one place in this part of the sea." This thought had occurred to Katie the moment she realised the plan was for the two ships to remain together until they found the _Dutchman_. It seemed peculiar to her that the more experienced pirates hadn't seen the flaw in the plan. "And by and by there will be four ships, if you include the _Dutchman_ itself and the _Black Pearl_." Moss was impressed she had thought of this.

"I'm sure Captain Teague knows what he's doing. He can't half move this ship if he needs to." Katie nodded. She was confident in Teague as a Captain, but not so much in Elizabeth. The _Dutchman_ could do a disappearing act, of course, but she and Jack would be manning the _Black Pearl_ alone until Tortuga- assuming that he hadn't decided he'd rather leave her behind. She wasn't completely sure what had transpired between the pair that night, and she feared she'd never know. Moss stepped towards her, one hand extended slightly.

"We'll be alright," He said, misinterpreting her silence as further worry about the pirates drawing attention to themselves. Katie slapped his hand away as he made to touch her and Moss recoiled in shock. They stared at each other.

"I'm… sorry." She whispered, and hurried from the kitchen.

Katie didn't stop until she had reached the other side of the ship. She was gulping large lungful's of fresh sea air, her heart pounding a thousand times a minute although there was no reason for it. It was as if Moss' attempt at physical contact had triggered some sort of panic attack, a feeling of absolute dread. Several crewmembers had noticed her symptoms, and were moving away warily: It looked as if she might cry, and none of them were any good about crying women. Another person who'd noticed Katie's sharp exit from the kitchen was Jack. He took a step in her direction, hesitated, and then continued on his way, his eyes flickering towards the _Empress_, which was slightly ahead of them. As he arrived behind Katie, she was almost doubled over, still hyperventilating. Gritting his teeth, Jack placed a hand on her back, spreading the warmth of his touch to her.

"Katie." He said firmly, "Katie, stand up."

"I- can't- breathe." She said, not wanting to turn her tear-stained face towards him. She'd sworn she would not cry all the way back in London. She supposed that vow was broken now, and all because of stupid _Moss. _

"You _can_. You can breathe. Come on, love, in through the nose an' out through the mouth. That's it." She tried to do what he said but she was still refusing to look at him and still bent over, clutching the wooden railing of the ship as if her life depended on it, as if she might fall off the edge of the Earth otherwise. Jack rolled his eyes at himself as he placed one strong arm around her waist and pulled her body back against his, forcing her to stand, though not to turn around. The idea of Moss touching her had merited a slap and latterly this, the beginnings of a panic attack. But somehow Jack's strong grip was reassuring. She leant back into him, still breathing shallowly. Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, handing it to her. She accepted it silently and wiped her tears away, moving her hair out of her eyes. After several minutes, when she was just hiccupping, he spoke to her again:

"How're you feeling now, darlin'?" Jack had not removed the arm from around her waist, fearing still that she'd collapse. But he couldn't help but note that it was as if their bodies had been designed to fit together, the curves of hers fitting his. And with that thought, he let go of her as if she had just burned him. Katie finally glanced around in surprise at this, but Jack didn't leave her completely, though his feet were itching to run. He merely stood beside her instead.

"I'm… better." She said. And then, "Sorry."

"What're you sorry for?" He asked, flashing her a grin. She smiled a little back.

"I'm never usually such a… well, a girl." She explained. Jack chuckled.

"I'd gathered as much, by now." It was one of the things that had made him like and respect her, the fact she wasn't tearful and afraid of everything.

"Thank you, though, for… you know." She gestured awkwardly before looking hastily back out to sea.

"What're friends for, eh?" He began to walk away, glad that Katie was no longer tearful, but as he glanced back he saw her slim shoulders drop a little. "Are you gonna tell me what that was all about?" He asked, again stilling his shifting feet almost against his own will. Jack watched her shoulders as she squared them again, as if to support a massive burden. But when Katie turned around to face him once more, her expression was hard and blazing.

"I'm fine, now." She said, not exactly answering the question. Jack squinted at her for a moment.

"You sure?"

"Positive." She replied, and Jack nodded, walking away across the ship in his usual flamboyant manner. Katie didn't watch him go, instead walking towards some loose rigging that needed tightening as the wind crept up. If she had watched, she would have seen Captain Jack Sparrow politely opening and closing the kitchen door. Invisible to everyone, however, was the fact that immediately on the other side of that door, he drew his sword and held it out, the edge of the blade cold against Moss's neck.

"Whatever you're doin' mate, it stops now, alright?" Jack growled at the cook. Moss had been taken aback by this greeting and so hadn't reached for his own sword.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" He cried.

"Oh you don't? Then explain to me why Katie just came tearin' out of 'ere in a state!" Unknown to Katie, this was not the first crew member Jack had threatened on her behalf; whenever one of the crew made an inappropriate comment about her, Jack warned them off. He had let them know in no uncertain terms that if they lay a finger on her, it may be the last thing they ever did. They were to treat her with respect. For most of the crew, they needed no more than to be told; they had grown to like Katie and wouldn't dream of hurting her. But a couple of them had become all too acquainted with what the barrel of Jack's gun looked like. He had been avoiding talking to her these weeks, mainly because he felt as if he were getting too close to her. She knew all his secrets, knew more than anyone else knew about who Jack Sparrow was underneath it all. And while he was no less fond of her for it, he was unused to it and was clinging to his personal space, his privacy, although she never invaded it. This evasiveness, however, did not mean that his policy of treating Katie with the same respect he was treated with had changed.

"I don't know! I was trying to reassure her that the navy weren't going to capture us and she- well, she just ran out of here!" Jack glared at Moss some more, but he saw the truth in his eyes. He hadn't done anything intentionally, at least. Jack slowly lowered his sword, sheathing it without looking away from Moss, who was now looking slightly relieved.

"Any fool can see you like 'er, mate." Jack said, matter-of-factly, "An' yer a decent bloke, at least. But if I 'ear you've made 'er uncomfortable in any way…"

"I won't! Because I…" Moss reddened.

"Pass me the sick bucket, lad." Jack interrupted, grimacing. Moss looked at him confusedly, "I don't wanna hear any professions of love. Anyway, Katie isn't like most _'nice'_ girls. She don't flutter her eyelashes for attention, so I don't think you fussing her and treating her like one of them will win 'er heart."

"I… I was just going to pat her arm, that was all. Nothing untoward." Moss had, after all, had his own arm patted by Katie plenty of times. She was that sort of person. Jack looked strangely interested to hear this, though.

"Right… well, if she don't like it, don't do it again, savvy?" As Jack exited the kitchen, he glanced toward Katie. She seemed to have recovered at least mostly and was waving across to Elizabeth on the _Empress_. She didn't notice him looking. Something told him he was getting closer to the truth of what she was running from, somehow, although he hadn't really been trying. Now, Jack was going to try. He had to know, now.

Elizabeth was proven correct that her presence alongside the _Troubadour _would bring about the _Flying Dutchman's_ appearance much more quickly as, a few days later, with an aggressive burst of water, it surfaced between the two ships. Elizabeth squealed, grabbed a robe and swung across and into its Captain's arms before anyone on the _Troubadour_ had even fully registered what was going on. The _Dutchman_ was angular and intimidating, though Katie did not know that under its latest Captain it had become slightly more welcoming in appearance- particularly because the crew no longer had fish-like mutations affecting their appearance. Katie watched the young married couple kiss and found herself glancing sideways at Jack, who was nearby. He was watching them with a slight smile, which seemed uncharacteristic- but then, Elizabeth had told her about Jack's role in their getting together, finally. She looked back at them and then heard Teague call out:

"Captain Turner and Captain Swann, board the _Troubadour_ for convention!" Although Elizabeth was also technically Captain Turner, she was no longer correcting people as it was easier to tell who one was referring to if she used her maiden name. The couple swung over together, clutching each other as they crossed the deck, unable to take their eyes off one another.

"Sorry to spoil the reunion, but this is important." Teague growled.

"We'll have plenty of time together later." Will murmured huskily in Elizabeth's ear, though everyone nearby heard it.

"You know who else is married now?" Elizabeth asked her husband breathlessly, her cheeks a little pink. "Jack!" Will looked around in surprise at the pirate. Jack showed his gold teeth in a grin as he held out a hand to Katie. She took it and the two began again the act that they'd become so skilled in.

"Meet Katie." Will scanned her quickly with dark eyes before offering her a slight bow.

"You must be a very formidable woman to be married to Jack." He said. Jack grinned.

"Oh she's very scary, aren't you, love?" He put his arm around her shoulders. Katie felt goosebumps erupt on her arm; she had caught a whiff of Jack's aroma, something like the sun and the sea mixed together. She managed a smile for Will's benefit.

"It's nice to meet you, Captain Turner."

"I'm sad to have missed the wedding." Will said. He was slightly incredulous at the idea of Jack being married, but he noticed the slight blush Katie had when Jack touched her and the way Jack presented her the way he might once have presented a bottle of rum.

"We all missed the wedding," Teague said, "They eloped"

"Oh, well we still owe you a wedding gift, I think. If it wasn't for Jack, I wouldn't be here at all today." Will said. Jack squeezed Katie sharply and she looked around at him, surprised, but then understood what he meant when she saw his expression.

"Actually, there is something that would be wonderful if it isn't too much trouble… you see, we'd like our own ship. I intend to sail with Jack, but we can't really be alone… that is… the _Black Pearl_ is in a bottle and only you can bring it out…" Katie managed to sound both coy and pleading at the same time, sensing this was the way to handle Will. Sure enough, he glanced from Katie to Jack for a split second, and then at Elizabeth, who nodded vigorously, before he replied.

"I'd be honoured." He said. As soon as the words were out of Will's mouth, Teague produced the aforementioned bottle seemingly from nowhere. Katie had never actually laid eyes on it before, and had no idea how Teague had come into possession of it. Jack looked equally surprised, but masked it quickly.

"You know what to do?" Teague asked, as Will took the bottle. He nodded whilst looking at it, holding it up so that they all had a view of the ship within. It was smaller than the _Troubadour_, but distinctive with its black sails. Katie knew from tales of it that the _Black Pearl_ made up for its size in it's speed.

"Davy Jones' would've had you pay another debt for this, Jack." Will pointed out. Jack swallowed. "You're lucky this is a gift." Without further ado, he smashed the bottle against the side of the _Troubadour_. The broken glass of the bottle that felt to the floor turned black and disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Will had caught the ship, and now he flung it out to sea. Jack hurried anxiously to look over the side of the ship, where it had been flung. There was a long pause, and then…

The full-sized _Black Pearl_, fully repaired and darkly beautiful, erupted from the sea. Katie watched the water crash back into the sea below it, hearing the amazed gasps of everyone who was there to witness it. Jack was gazing at his ship joyfully, frozen for a moment. Katie looked around and saw Elizabeth and Will smiling at her.

"Oh… Thank you!" She squeaked. She was glad Jack had what he really wanted, but she was also a little apprehensive; now, she would be leaving with him alone, to return to Tortuga before heading to Shipwreck Cove. And as relations between them had been somewhat strained… She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to find Teague looking her squarely in the eyes.

"Katie, you look after my boy." His tone was teasing but there was truth in his gaze.

"I will… thank you for everything." She mumbled, and she knew he sensed her nerves.

"Take this," And again, he produced an object from apparently nowhere, though this time it was a pistol, "You never know when you might need it. We'll be seein' you soon, at Shipwreck Island." Katie nodded and accepted the pistol. Jack had not looked away from his ship since it had surfaced, almost convinced that if he looked away it would disappear again. The_ Pearl_ was loaded with enough supplies to last the pair until Tortuga, where they could restock and hire a crew. It was only around an hour later that Katie and Jack found themselves aboard the _Pearl_, sailing in the opposite direction from the other three ships. Neither of them spoke at first.

Jack was at the helm, and Katie made her way into the Captain's quarters. There, she found a chest full of clothes. She found a pair of boots which had probably belonged to some poor lad before which fit her feet, a pair of faded black breeches, a shirt and a belt, into which she tucked her pistol. She managed also to tie her hair back using a piece of twine and checked her appearance in the reflection of the window. She had expected to feel uncomfortable in these clothes, but she didn't: dresses had been inconvenient and besides, these clothes were actually quite clean, which made a change.

Jack was not a fan of women in men's clothing, but when Katie approached him on the helm just as they lost sight of the other ships on the horizon behind them, his lips formed a smile. With her hair off her face her green eyes stood out, and she looked tougher, much more like the Katie he knew she was on the inside.

"You look wonderful, love." He said.

"You seem happy." Katie noted, not knowing how best to respond to his unexpected compliment.

"I'm home."

**A/N: I'm going to be honest and say I'm not a fan of this chapter. A lot happened that needed to happen, but I found it really difficult to write. I hope it came across okay! Thanks to those who have reviewed, you make this so much more worth it. Please don't hesitate to drop me a line telling me what you think!**


	8. Heart to Heart, Port to Port

**A/N: This chapter has been a battle for me, but I'm really pleased with it. There's a lot of time spent on just Jack and Katie, but I would say there is a lot of important things to do with the plot too. I would have said this at the end as usual, but it's important for me to put a disclaimer on this chapter in particular, so here it is:**

**I don't own POTC. I wish I did, but I didn't. And I definitely do not have anything to do with Disney, who wrote the 'Drink Up Me Hearties, Yo Ho' song which features slightly in this chapter. **

**CHAPTER EIGHT: Heart to Heart, Port to Port**

"I almost don't wanna go to Tortuga yet." Jack sighed wistfully. Night had fallen and the pair were sat on the steps on deck of _The Black Pearl. _Jack had dropped the anchor for the night and the only light came from the moon. "It'd be nice to just… sail."

"It'd be too hard, with just two of us." Katie replied quietly. Her arms were wrapped around her knees and she was staring into the middle distance, unseeing.

"I think we'd manage. We've managed a lot, you an' me." Jack pointed out. Katie bit her lip, an action he didn't miss. "I'm glad to have you away from that Moss." She looked around at Jack in surprise then, her reverie broken.

"Why?"

"You tell me, love." They stared each other down for a moment, but Katie recognised defeat.

"Men like him are always the same… they don't know what it is they want, but they want it so badly all the same." She said.

"They're not men, they're boys. Overgrown boys." Jack stated, his eyes drifting from her as he spoke, "Don't know 'ow to handle a woman. Don't know 'ow to make her feel wanted, in a way she wants to be wanted."

"We're both talking in riddles now." Katie noted. Jack focused once more on her.

"You're right, love." He grinned slowly. "I just mean, a bloke like Moss… he wouldn't know what to do with you. Wouldn't have a clue how to seduce you."

"And you would?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Jack's smirk didn't leave his face as he surveyed her for a moment.

"I think so." He said finally, "If I wanted to…" Katie frowned; she had almost forgotten what she'd reminded herself of so many times: _Jack didn't want her_. "But I wouldn't, because you don't like to be touched." He didn't say it like it was a question. Katie glanced round at him, surprised. "Moss told me."

"Jack, I…" She began, but then stopped and shook her head, standing up. She began to walk away and Jack watched her go for a moment, before springing up and hurrying after her.

"Katie," He called. "Katie!" She whirled around to find herself almost nose-to-nose with him, but neither backed away.

"If I didn't like to be touched, I wouldn't have ever let you touch me! Let alone kiss me!" She screamed. Jack was so stunned he didn't respond, "Maybe it's the way I'm being touched!" She pushed him angrily in the chest, "Don't- _ever_-"

"Katie!" He seized her hands to stop her punching him on every syllable. He'd never seen her lose control like this; her red hair was falling back into her face and her green eyes were dark and flashing. She glared up at him.

"When you- when you touch me- I know what you intend! I know you won't do anything I don't want to do!" Furious tears were spilling down her cheeks now. "When someone else- you _never_ know, Jack!" Katie's voice was dropping in volume now, until it was barely a whisper. "You never know…"

"Alright," He murmured, "Alright, darlin', I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" She mumbled, blushing now. All the fight had rapidly gone out of her and she felt unable to recall what'd made her so angry in the first place. Replacing the rage was a sense of befuddlement. Jack, strangely, chuckled lightly.

"I was sorry for gettin' you in a state. And, for assuming…"

"No… I don't know what came over me…" Katie shook her head, smiling as she wiped away the traces of tears on her face. Jack hesitated, about to ask her if she was speaking from personal experience, but then decided against it. He didn't like seeing her upset, and there would be plenty of time to find out. Instead, he turned and began to make his way towards his cabin.

"It's late. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." He called over his shoulder. Katie tripped after him awkwardly. There was no question about the sleeping arrangements; as soon as they acquired a crew they would be forced to share a bed anyway. She followed him in and sat down on what proved to be a very comfortable bed. Jack kicked his boots off and got under the covers without further ado. Katie slid in beside him, remembering that night so long ago when she'd first shared a bed with Jack in France, how intimidated she'd been. She wasn't afraid of him anymore- their last conversation had proven that- but her skin still prickled at their close proximity. Jack leaned over to extinguish the lantern that'd been burning and there was silence, other than the sound of the ship gently rocking in the waves. The sails had been slackened at the same time the anchors had been dropped, and since then all motion had stopped.

"I don't blame Moss." Katie murmured after a few moments. "He means well. I just didn't realise his feelings until then…"

"How?" Jack asked, surprised. Moss' feelings had been plain for everyone else to see. The lad had even been teased for it by the rest of the crew behind Katie's back.

"I've never been good at spotting things like that."

"So you've 'ad men in love with you before?" Jack questioned playfully. Katie laughed quietly.

"I don't know if they were i_n love _with me, per se." She said. "You know those society things, you dance with every Tom, Dick and Harry and then they squire you around and eventually propose." The last part had her voice turn slightly venomous. "I'm glad I left that behind." She added suddenly.

"You like to dance, though." Jack pointed out.

"Oh, I never minded the dancing," Katie agreed, "But the expectation that hung around it…" She yawned.

"I never had anything like that." Jack said, "I mean, I was brought up by pirates. For a long time I weren't even sure me Dad was me Dad."

"I don't actually know anything about your childhood." Katie mused thoughtfully.

"I don't know anything about yours." Jack returned. Katie conceded this. "I spent most of it on Shipwreck Island, but there were periods where I grew up in London, too, before it got too dangerous for us to go there. It was… a unique experience." He chuckled at the end of this. Katie giggled, and Jack couldn't help but look at her beside him. Although it was dark, he could just about make her out. "I didn't ever see much of my Mum. Dad loved her to pieces… but she was sort of mysterious." Teague had compared Katie to Jack's mother, she recalled.

"Nobody ever knew where she came from, really, but she ended up a pirate and she was a bloody good one." Katie opened her mouth as if to say something about her own family, but then closed it again and instead turned onto her side so that she was looking at Jack. The latter was gazing up at the ceiling, apparently lost in a world of his own.

"Hey…" He only spoke again after a long pause, and when he'd looked to his right to find Katie watching him. He rolled over onto his side, too, so that they were facing each other full-on. "Whatchoo staring at?" He asked, grinning.

"I was just thinking." Katie giggled again.

"Aye, we do too much of that between us."

"I can't help but agree with you." His warm hand was suddenly stroking her hair back off her face and onto the pillow behind her. His thumb grazed her cheekbone, which admittedly appeared more prominent than it had done when they'd first met in London. "What else is there to do but think?" Katie whispered, having a certain sense of foresight which was proven correct when he answered her question by kissing her.

Their first kiss had been lustful and heated, but this one was much slower and gentler. Jack's hand wandered to the back of her neck, drawing her towards him, increasing the intensity of the kiss. Katie in turn trailed one hand up his arm and to his shoulder, enjoying how his muscles felt beneath her grip. He sighed at the feeling and slipped his tongue into her mouth, his free hand pressing upon her waist, guiding her over to him so that she was leaning down to maintain the kiss, until he broke it to gaze up at her with darkened eyes, her hair grazing his cheek.

"Goodnight, love." He whispered gruffly.

"Goodnight." She murmured back.

Neither Katie nor Jack mentioned what'd happened that night for the rest of the voyage to Tortuga. Katie privately realised just how many things they never discussed, and that the list was getting longer and longer. But this time, Jack remained friendly towards her, perhaps only because it was impossible to avoid Katie when they shared a bed and there was only two of them on the ship. Katie was just as happy as he was, however, to put the incident behind them. If they had not stopped…

As they neared Tortuga, she knew Jack was thinking about Angelica again more and more. She could tell because he would go quiet and stare out to sea with a forlorn expression on his face. It was one she could not bear, because Jack was usually full of mirth, and she doubted he even knew what he looked like when he thought about that awful woman. The truth was, the days were now numbered before they were bound to encounter Angelica and neither Katie nor Jack was looking forward to it, though for very different reasons.

"We're here." Jack called to Katie as they moored at the dock of Tortuga. She had been facing back out to open sea and was reluctant to look around and lay eyes upon the island again. Jack handed her a dress, which she obliged to change into out of his sight, while he went to find someone to mind the ship. Around twenty minutes later, Katie stepped off _The Black Pearl _and onto dry, solid land for the first time in God knew how long.

Once again, her and Jack's farcical marriage was the subject of much interest among the people in Tortuga. Everywhere they looked they were getting sceptical and surprised looks; the latter because nobody had expected the two to remain together between this visit to Tortuga and the next. Jack kept Katie close by his side the whole time as he began recruiting sailors for a crew in the same inn they had visited before, The Faithful Bride. She didn't know, but he was watching her reaction to each man as he questioned them. At the introduction of a couple of them, she shifted uneasily as they leered at her and Jack soon found a reason to turn them away. It was important that Katie felt comfortable.

As the line to sign up for Jack's crew dwindled, a short, stubby figure approached them, his face partially concealed by the shadows. Jack swigged from his perpetual rum bottle before speaking:

"What's yer name man?" Jack asked the figure.

"As if ye don't know my name, Jack." Jack leaned forward to peer more closely at the man for a second before leaping up and seizing the man by the shoulders across the table.

"Mr Gibbs, I demand to know what ye mean by this!" He cried, though he was grinning. Katie took the chance to copy Jack and lean forward. The man had a kind, grubby face, with his grey hair tied back off his face and a portly figure.

"I mean to join yer crew. Heard it around that ye were headin' back here- I missed ye last time. But I've heard some funny things Jack. I heard ye got married." Gibbs said, slightly lowering his voice.

"That I did." Jack declared, and pulled Katie to her feet. Gibbs blinked at her as if she was an illusion for a second. "Gibbs, this be my wife, Katie. Katie this is my first mate, Joshamee Gibbs."

"Oh, so I _am _yer first mate, am I?" Gibbs rolled his eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet ye, Mrs Sparrow."

"Katie." She corrected for the millionth time.

"The song has been sung, so I hear. What be the purpose o' the summoning of the fifth Brethren Court? Be the rumours o' that Spanish woman's revenge true?" Gibbs asked, looking horrified at the idea.

"Aye, the rumours are true." Jack admitted in an undertone. A look passed between the two men before Jack rapidly turned from Gibbs to Katie. "I'm gonna take my wife for a stroll. You, Gibbs, finish signing up these men. At dawn we set sail." Jack tugged Katie out of the inn and down the same street they had once strolled with Katie in a state of drunkenness. When they reached the beach, Katie spoke:

"I thought you'd want to catch up with Gibbs."

"I needed to be alone." Jack said, sounding troubled.

"I'm here." Katie pointed out, "I can return to the ship if you-"

"I can be alone with you." He responded, cutting her off, and she was so taken aback by his comment that she didn't have anything to say. Slowly, a smile crept across her face, a smile Jack caught sight of out the corner of his eye; it was perhaps the first happy, genuine smile he'd seen on her face in quite some time and it pleased him to see it. "Last time we were on this beach, you said I could do better than Angelica."

"Well…" Katie sighed, "I don't know, Jack. I was drunk." He could tell she didn't want to talk about Angelica right now, and he was relieved. He needed to drive that infernal woman from his mind. It disconcerted him slightly, having Gibbs around, because he alone had had an inkling of Jack's true feelings for Angelica in the time leading up to the disastrous happenings at the Fountain of Youth. "This is turning into sort of a tradition though, isn't it?" She gestured to their surroundings by way of a change of subject. Despite its proximity to scenes of debauchery and crime, the Tortugan beach was beautiful and untouched.

"I was never one for tradition," Jack said, "But if this were the sort of tradition people usually follow, I'd be alright with it." He pulled her around to face him and began to lead her in another dance. Images of their last dance, not to mention their more recent kiss, flashed through Katie's mind but she pushed them aside, letting Jack steer her. The weather was distinctly cooler now than last time they had spent time on this beach, but she soon warmed up from being in Jack's arms, not to mention spinning and whirling around.

"We've been having a lot of heart to heart's lately." Jack noted out loud after a while, slowing their dance to a waltz.

"I've enjoyed getting to know you better." Katie replied, slightly out of breath from dancing.

"I don't know if I know you any better than when we started this journey, love, but it's been nice to 'ave someone to listen to me."

"You're in a strange mood, Jack."

"Yeah…" He agreed, "Yeah I am. Can I just ask you one question, Katie?"

"Of course." They let go of each other.

"Are you afraid of what's to come?" Katie thought about this. She thought about the way the sea had pulled back at Calypso's command, the image of the _Flying Dutchman_ bursting out of the sea, Teague handing her a pistol and back to the very beginning, the desperate alliance she had made with this very man all the way back in London. Then, the fear had seemed real to her, the panic threatening to envelope her at any moment, as imminent as the blood gushing out of Jack's leg. Again, Katie's mind flashed back to the pistol and the feeling of Jack standing behind her, holding her upright, telling her to breathe.

"Not anymore." She answered finally. "I don't know what the outcome will be, but I know we'll get through everything somehow." She was determined that it would be so. Jack saw the defiance in her eyes and took strength from it, taking her hand once more. As he led her back towards _The Black Pearl_, he sang under his breath:

"_We're devils, we're black sheep, we're really bad eggs, drink up me hearties, yo ho..."_

**A/N: So, what do you think of this chapter? Let me know in a review! And thanks to everyone who has reviewed before, I'm ever so grateful!**


	9. The Past and the Future

**Warning: There are sexual references in this chapter. Nothing graphic, but they're there. This story does have an M rating anyway, but I thought I'd let you all know.**

**CHAPTER NINE: The Past and The Future**

"_Quién es usted?" The young girl cried in alarm, seizing her blanket and pulling it up to her chin, brown eyes wide in shock, "__Qué haces?__"_

"_Sorry?" Jack said, not speaking a word of Spanish beyond 'hola'._

"_Who are you?" She repeated in English, "What are you doing? Why are you in my room?"_

"_Me? I'm uh… I wanted to get a little closer to God." Jack answered quickly, spotting a large Crucifix hanging on the wall above her bed. He had believed he was visiting a brothel, as a local had referred to a house full of girls. What he had found, in actuality, was a convent. The young girl took in his appearance slowly._

"_Are you…a pirate?"_

"_I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?" Jack introduced himself absently. The girl's dark hair was shiny and her olive skin was clear and soft-looking. With those big, doe eyes, she was beautiful and more enticing than any woman had any right to be, appearing so innocent and yet with so much potential to not be innocent… She had dropped her sheet and slowly got out of bed, looking wary. She was wearing a long, loose white nightgown that gave nothing away. She was about a head shorter than Jack, and was slender._

"_You have not told me the real reason you are here." She whispered._

"_I told ya." Jack responded smartly._

"_No, you are not here to be close to God…"_

"_Well, alright, I lied. But the real reason… that's classified information. What are _you_ doin' here, love?" He had decided to charm his way out of this situation rather than alarm the girl and have her running for the nuns._

"_I live here… I have lived here for as long as I recall." She replied, but then there was a sudden noise outside the room. Both froze and the girl pressed her finger to her lips, warningly. After a moment, they heard another noise further away and both breathed a sigh of relief that they hadn't been caught. _

"_What's your name?" Jack asked her quietly, stepping a little closer, feeling that the moment he must leave was imminent._

"_Angelica." She whispered back, and Jack thought it suited her. "Jack, we must get you out of here, quickly. If the nuns catch a man in my room…" She seized his hand and began to pull him towards the door. In silence, they crept through dark passages and hallways until they had reached the front gate outside. There was a small orchard in the grounds, and Jack looked towards it as Angelica let go of his hand. He felt a pang as she made to turn away and go back inside, but he grabbed her arm on a whim, pulling her around. He couldn't let her walk away._

"_Angelica… can you meet me here, in that orchard, tomorrow night?" He begged huskily. She blinked and slowly smiled. She stepped towards him, tiptoeing, tentatively kissed his lips. It was her first kiss, ever, and she could be thrown out of the convent if anyone ever found out about it. Jack's lips felt hot as she parted from him. He stared down at her, feeling as if he'd been winded._

"_I will be there." She answered him._

Jack had been muttering in his sleep so much that it woke Katie up even though she had promised herself a lie in as now that they had a crew she and Jack did not need to rise so early to sail. She turned to look at him. Despite his muttering, he was sleeping peacefully. What disconcerted her was the fact he kept saying the same thing over and over: "Angelica… Angelica… Angelica…"

If Katie had believed that Jack was moving on from that woman, evidently she'd been wrong. Sighing, she got out of bed, pulled on her boots, and headed out onto the deck. Gibbs was at the helm, squinting into the bright, clear early morning sun. At that moment, Katie wished she could have the steady, calm, dependable company of Teague.

"Did ye sleep well, Katie?" Gibbs asked her politely.

"Not so badly." She replied.

"Captain not awake yet?"

"No." Gibbs watched her out of the corner of his eye; she looked as if her mind was quite elsewhere. It was strange, to him, that Jack was now married (or at least, that was what he believed). It had come suddenly. Just the last time Gibbs had seen him, he'd been refusing to even acknowledge he had feelings and now suddenly he was in love with a brand new woman of mysterious origin. Katie was pretty enough, for sure, but it still seemed as if it didn't quite fit to Gibbs. Katie and Jack had both discussed this when they had returned on board the ship from Tortuga; Gibbs would take more convincing than others. Jack had not mentioned that this was because Gibbs knew only too well about his recent 'stirrings' for Angelica.

"It'll be a few weeks 'til we reach Shipwreck Island. I only hope our journey not be difficult." Gibbs said, to fill the silence.

"The seas have been quite free of trouble recently," said Katie thoughtfully.

"Aye, since Calypso was freed the East India Trading Company and Navy haven't been able to chase us as much. Still, ye can never have too many eyes out." Katie nodded and drifted away to the edge of the ship, wishing she were still back on the beach at Tortuga and not on _The Black Pearl _among strangers. She had become used to the crew on the _Troubadour_, besides which now that she was beyond the initial excitement of being a pirate she was concerned with living day to day, and for the foreseeable future she would be living a lie- the lie that she was married to Jack, married to a man so clearly obsessed with another woman. As if he'd heard her thoughts, Jack burst out from his cabin at that moment, bouncing as he walked and clearly in an excellent mood.

"Just what I like to see- the open sea and possibilities unlimited! And my ship fully crewed so I don't 'ave to do anything!" He added loudly. Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Where's me wife? There's me wife!" Jack approached Katie from behind and wrapped his arm around her waist, squeezing her to him and kissing her on the cheek. Katie stiffened against him at the contact, though didn't say anything. She was annoyed that he had gone from dreaming about Angelica to being affectionate with her. This was exactly the type of problem she had foreseen!

"What's wrong with you?" He asked her more quietly.

"Nothing." Katie lied staunchly. Jack raised his eyebrows, not believing her. His arm was still around her waist.

"You 'ave to be more convincing than this." He muttered.

"Nothing's wrong." She said again, extracting her arm from where it was trapped against Jack's body and wrapping it around him in turn. "What reason do you have for being so cheerful?"

"Dunno. The fresh sea air, I s'pose." Jack replied, letting go of her at last. Katie rolled her eyes just like Gibbs had done before her, but managed to pass it off as coming from endearment rather than a sarcastic gesture. She would have to begin preparing the day's food, so was glad to have a reason to leave Jack's side. She thought of Moss as she entered the _Black Pearl's _kitchen. It was smaller than the one on the _Troubadour_, but she wouldn't be disturbed often. Now that some time had passed, she of course realised that Moss had only been trying to comfort her that day on the _Troubadour_. He had been raised a gentleman and wouldn't dream of hurting her; and besides, he was her friend, and had been good to her the entire voyage. Katie had definitely over-reacted, but it had been out of her control. She couldn't have helped having that panic attack, and if she'd had any power over that she would never have had it.

But the fact Moss was a gentleman was exactly the problem: gentlemen were refined in their ways, but that sometimes meant they were sly. They could dress their actions up as honourable or righteous. When she had talked to Jack about this, however cryptically, she had neglected to mention one thing: when Jack, or men like Jack, touched her, she knew what was coming and what to expect. They didn't sugar coat their actions… Angrily, Katie slammed the large pot of water onto the fire and sprinkled salt into it as it slowly began to heat up. She shouldn't be thinking about any of this. Instinctively, she reached down to her breeches, which she had donned this morning instead of her dress once more, and ran her hand over the handle of Teague's pistol in her belt. Once, Jack had passingly mentioned that _"you can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest". _It was true, after all, and as reassuring as the weapon she possessed.

Out on the deck, Jack had taken the helm and his First Mate was beside him, studying his Captain and friends' facial expressions closely, despite the fact Jack was still inexplicably merry. "What are you gonna propose the Brethren Court do?" Gibbs questioned Jack.

"Blow Angelica to smithereens, what else mate?" Jack answered with a smirk. Gibbs gave him a sceptical face in response. "Teague wants Calypso bound anew- says it's the only way to ensure she won't seize the opportunity to fight us through Angelica."

"Seems logical." Gibbs grunted.

"Won't be easy though, mate, and I'm not sure I miss Tia Dalma enough to want her back- she'll probably turn us all into toads."

"Maybe that's true but it'll be worse with Angelica havin' the Goddess o' the sea on her side." Gibbs reasoned. "Speakin' of which…" He shifted slightly awkwardly, but nonetheless planted his stout form firmly in Jack's line of vision so he couldn't evade the question to follow: "Are ye quite sure your stirrings'll be under control when we finally track down that woman?"

"Stirrings?" Jack yelped, then hastened to cover up his reaction: "That's ancient history, Gibbs. I 'ave a wife now, don't I?" Gibbs raised one eyebrow.

"I never thought that'd stop ye."

"Well, it will. Katie is worth a thousand Angelica's. In case ye haven't heard, Katie near enough saved me life after I was shot- an' more often than not, if I'm being shot at its Angelica doin' the shooting." This was undoubtedly true.

"You really care about that girl?" Gibbs indicated with his thumb the door of the kitchen, where Katie had gone to. Jack glanced in its direction, remembering the fact that in sharp contrast to himself, Katie had been in a very spiky mood this morning.

"I love 'er mate." Jack answered simply. Hearing the words come out of Jack's mouth put paid to Gibbs' retort- at heart, he was a romantic and didn't believe anyone could really lie about love. But that wasn't to say he entirely believed Jack and Katie just yet.

The rest of the day passed pleasantly with Jack in such a good mood, and the new crew were already growing to like their captain. Katie was the only one who was not cheerful, but she spent almost the entire time inside the kitchen. Jack opted not to disturb her, though privately he was facing the night to come with some trepidation because he'd have to see her, like it or not, in a bad mood. Katie was apparently dreading the encounter too, because she stayed up as late as she could without attracting too much attention to herself. She hoped Jack would be asleep or at least drunk by the time she made it to bed so that she could simply go to sleep without having to speak to him, but she had no such luck. She walked into the cabin to find Jack sitting on top of the covers, a bottle of wine in his hand, looking expectant.

Katie stared at him for several seconds before deciding she didn't care for this at all and made to turn around and walk straight back out, but Jack called to her:

"Oi! Don't even _think_ about it." Katie sighed. She could still walk away but she had a notion he would follow her and if she had to have this conversation she'd rather it wasn't in front of curious crewmates. Resigned, she turned around to face him, arms crossed over her chest. "What's been wrong with you today, Katie? Answer me." He was using his captain's voice on her, the one which made it clear she had to answer. She opened her mouth, but then something stepped in: she didn't have to answer truthfully. Strangely, it'd never occurred to her to really lie to Jack, but thinking about him muttering Angelica's name in his sleep made her angry; angry and eager to wound.

"I suppose I'm homesick." She said sadly, drifting over to the bed and sitting at the edge, her back to him. "Being in Tortuga reminded me of what it's like to have the bustle of a town surround me…"

"I thought it was a pirate's life for you, eh?" Jack asked softly, offering her the bottle of wine. She took it, uncorked it, and drank a long draught. Jack privately had to admit he was coloured impressed by her drinking prowess nowadays compared to when he had first met her and she wouldn't touch even a drop of rum. But Katie liked wine; he'd known that when he'd purchased some crates of it for her in Tortuga, something none of the crew knew about.

"Do you never get homesick, Jack?"

"_The Black Pearl_ is my home." He replied simply. "But Katie, please spare me the spectacle of you tryin' to lie to old Jack. It don't wash with me, savvy?" She was glad then that she was facing away from Jack because she had turned red; how had he known? Katie debated for a moment persisting with the lie, but then surrendered. Kicking off her boots, she scooted up beside him on the bed instead, permitting him to place his arm around her shoulders. She continued to drink from the wine bottle. Jack waited, but Katie didn't speak; she merely drank. "Alright. If you don't wanna talk about it." He said, finally. Relieved, Katie offered him the wine and he took the bottle, surprised to find it was already almost half-empty.

In her rapidly increasing state of tipsiness, Katie allowed her mind to stray into territory she usually didn't allow it to go to. The truth was, she knew she had feelings for Jack. That was why she couldn't stand the thought of him still being in love with Angelica, however much he denied it. This particular resentment had gone from being that of a friend indignant on Jack's behalf to something else. She knew him so well now, probably better than anybody else. She travelled with him everywhere, she talked to him, she slept in his bed, but he still wouldn't forget Angelica! And she knew no way of making him do so, either, except…

Several bottles of wine later (mostly drunk by Jack, though a considerable amount was consumed by Katie too), the pair were beneath the covers, singing at the top of their lungs in the direction of the ceiling of the cabin. Laughing raucously, Katie leant up on one elbow, with another hand on Jack's chest. The world span for a second before her vision straightened out and Jack laughed harder as he saw her attempt to focus.

"What're you tryin' to do, love?" He slurred. She had sat up further still. Clumsily, she straddled his lap, making his dark eyes widen in surprise. "Katie…" Jack's hands automatically went to her hips, though neither of them moved. She was positioned almost exactly on top of his goods, and he was hard. The truth was, lying in bed each night with a beautiful girl, he often was, but he ignored those feelings. "Katie, you don't wanna be doin' this."

"Doing what?" She asked innocently. The truth was, she didn't know much about the birds and the bees, and what she did know had been gleaned from eavesdropping on matron's conversations and the suggestions she heard prostitutes in Tortuga call out to clients. Her cheeks flushed a little bit as she thought about this, and Jack watched the blush spread. He had to make his point; he thrust his hips gently against her. The response was involuntary- she half gasped, half moaned, her eyes closing. He did it again, and she reacted the same way. On the third thrust, she moved against him and the friction drew a grunt from him, too. It had been an awfully long time…

"Katie." He held her still, forcing himself to stop. "Katie, if we carry on like this, I'll give you a baby." She bit her lip, surprised at his bluntness. "I… wouldn't be able to stop meself."

"Jack…" Her voice was husky. He gently manoeuvred her off of him, depositing her onto her half of the bed.

"You've had a lot to drink," He told both Katie and himself, "This isn't… you'd hate me in the morning." Katie's face changed and she dived beneath the covers again, hiding it before he could identify what it meant. However, her shaking body and uneven breathing gave her away. "Are you… crying?" He asked. She didn't answer, just tried to burrow deeper into the bed. He placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. "Katie, please don't… I'm useless at this kind of…"

"You don't want me," She said, so quietly between sobs that he hardly heard her, "I'm so _stupid_…" Jack was perplexed.

"What?"

"Oh…" Katie shuddered, "N-nothing! I just… I wanted you to… to forget about her! But you dreamt of her and you were s-so happy!" Jack frowned. He didn't recall dreaming about Angelica but he knew he sometimes spoke in his sleep. He heaved a deep sigh. Katie cried even harder, because now Jack surely knew how she felt and he would run a mile!

"You were tryin' to make me forget her… you were willing to do… _that_… to make me feel better?" Her horror vanished when Jack said this; somehow, he had convoluted her actions as some kind of sacrifice to help her friend. On the one hand, she didn't know how a man could be so stupid, but on the other she was relieved that she had not blown her cover.

"Well," She swallowed, slowly turning back to look at him. "I never really thought you'd actually go the whole… way. Not with me." This was at least partially true.

"No wonder you were crying… what if I had, eh?" Jack gave her a ghost of a smile. Katie just blinked at him.

"Yes…" She said, although she didn't fully understand what she was agreeing to. She was still rather drunk.

"Don't make a habit of that cryin', though, or I'll make ye walk the plank." Jack warned her and Katie managed a confused smile. As she went to sleep shortly after, Jack was pondering his decision to stop Katie in her tracks: would she have really gone through with it all? It explained why she had been so withdrawn all day; she had been planning this and was nervous. It also explained the excessive alcohol intake. But why _had _he turned her down? Captain Jack Sparrow had never in his life turned an attractive young woman down before. He supposed it was because he knew she was a virgin. He supposed it was because he knew she had a troubled past, even if he didn't know what'd really happened. He supposed he didn't want her, though his body told him otherwise.

It would be some time before the true answer would come to him. But neither of them had any idea how much the events of that night were going to change things between them.

**A/N: So at the end of a long, wild chapter, I'd love to know what you all think of these developments! I hope I didn't push things too far, but at the same time that I pushed them far enough for it to be interesting! The next chapter they're going to arrive at Shipwreck Island and shizzle is going to go down, FYI. So lot's of juicy plot coming. Stay tuned! Oh, and thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favourited this story so far- it means the world!**


	10. Reality

**CHAPTER TEN: Reality**

Shipwreck Island was virtually impregnable, being protected both by nature, with the rocks and reefs that surrounded the shores, but also by the towering ships and the flags that flew warning those who would threaten the peace of what they would be facing. As the _Black Pearl _drifted into port one cold night, Katie recognised both the _Empress_ and the _Troubdaour _ already there, though the other Pirate Lords were apparently not. Beyond the dock, a huge mass rose behind the curve of Shipwreck Cove, a huge building seemingly comprised entirely of shipwrecks. Her mouth opened as she took in the turreted masts that seemed to glisten.

"Here we are." Jack said from just behind her. Ever since that dramatic night a few weeks ago, he'd been treating Katie differently. Before, he had merely spoken to her like a friend and played up to their fake marriage by showering her with overt affection in front of the rest of the crew. But now he was gentler, more considerate, even when they were alone. Katie thought she would go mad because that incident was yet another taboo subject between them. She ought to be glad, because Jack still believed she had merely been sacrificing her honour to help him- saw it as an act of gallantry, almost. But whenever she gave the matter enough thought she felt completely exhausted, and the end didn't seem to be in sight.

Jack helped her off the ship delicately, as if she was made of china and would shatter at any moment. Katie suppressed the urge to scream and instead followed the rest of the crew, leaving Jack to fall behind them, beside Gibbs. Gibbs, if nobody else, had noticed the change between them.

"Captain," He said in a low voice, now that he was finally out of earshot of the crew, "What be the matter with you an' Katie as of late?"

"Matter? Who says anything's the matter?" Jack yelped.

"Anyone wiv eyes can see somethin's gone on… not that it's necessarily bad, mind. Ye just seem to be cautious of 'er, more protective, almost as if…" Gibbs stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide. "Jack, is she havin' a baby?" Jack gaped at him, gobsmacked. He hadn't really been aware he was acting differently towards Katie, but if that was the case, the idea of her being pregnant with his child... Jack didn't know what to tell Gibbs. The truth was, he and Katie should have seen this coming. They were a supposed married couple who shared a bed every night. It was only natural a baby would come along. '_If we carry on like this, I'll give you baby.' _Gibbs seemed to grow even more surprised when Jack didn't answer. "Captain, a ship is no place for a pregnant woman!"

"Gibbs," Jack interrupted, still shocked, "Don't be ridiculous. She's not pregnant. Now, keep yer nose out me business if you like shape it is, aye?"

"Aye, Captain." Gibbs agreed furtively.

Inside the fortress of a building at the centre of the island and it's politics, the first person Katie had come across was Moss. Turning down one of the twisting hallways, she walked almost straight into him.

"Katie," He began, his eyes lighting up. Well, _how_ hadn't she seen his feelings written on his face before? She cringed at his greeting, "I'm glad to see you're well, after our last encounter I…"

"Moss," She stopped him, having decided a while ago that she wanted to let bygones be bygones, especially as he hadn't done anything wrong, "Say no more. Friends?" She offered him her hand. After a second he took it and they shook. Relieved, Katie fell into step beside him. "How have things been?"

"Not so bad. We arrived here a few weeks ago, and since then everyone's been scattered about the island waiting for the Pirate Lord's to show up." Moss explained. "How have things been aboard _The Black Pearl_?" Katie thought darkly of Jack's recent gentlemanly treatment of her; did she really have any right to be annoyed with him?

"It's been fine." She replied evasively, "Moss, forgive me, but I need to see Captain Teague."

"Teague's quarters are at the very top of this building." Moss indicated a nearby set of stairs. "Katie, it's good to see you." They had stopped and Katie looked at him, though her eyes glazed over as if she was staring through him. Moss' blue eyes lost their hope after a moment.

"I'll see you later…" She said vaguely, turned, and began to climb the long, winding staircase to the very top.

Jack had taken several shortcuts as Katie spoke with Moss and was already at the top of the fortress and seated facing Teague across an ornate circular table, each clutching a bottle of rum. Elizabeth was also sat around the table, though she had no drink in her hands. Teague was gazing steadily at his son while Jack worked hard to avoid said gaze.

"You'd better be thinking, boy." Teague growled. "You need this Brethren Court to go your way."

"It will." Jack insisted, "Don't 'ave a choice, do I, if I don't wanna meet my end again." He shot a look at Elizabeth at this point, and she rolled her eyes.

"The Court aren't going to like the idea of binding Calypso anew."

"That's why you two need to pull your famous double act on 'em again." Teague said flatly, and both nodded. This part was crucial and inescapable. Teague still had not removed his gaze from Jack, who fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. Elizabeth watched this amusedly. It was clear to her that Jack feared his father, and she had seldom seen Jack truly afraid of anybody. "Speakin' of double acts," Teague began after a pause and Jack knew what was coming, "Where's yer wife?" At that exact moment, and much to Jack's relief, the door burst open and Katie appeared.

"There's me wife!" Jack grinned jovially. Katie stared blankly at him; she had not expected him to be there and had been hoping to speak to Teague alone. That plan scuppered, it took a moment for her to recollect herself, during which time Elizabeth spoke:

"Katie! It's so good to see you!" Glad of a reason to look away from Jack, Katie smiled at Elizabeth.

"Have I missed an important meeting here?" She asked, walking across to Elizabeth to hug her before taking the seat beside her, her body facing slightly away from Jack. Teague watched his son's dark eyes follow her and read the truth: Jack had done something to irk her, and yet whatever he had done was a result of something deeper than he would ever admit. His feelings for her had changed, though it would be impossible to pinpoint how.

"Oh, we were just discussing the best way to convince the Brethren Court that binding Calypso is going to be the best option we have." Elizabeth explained.

"But what if Angelica gets there first? Does anybody know where she is or what she's doing?" Katie questioned. Teague's eyes moved to Elizabeth, though Jack's stayed on Katie.

"She was spotted in Jamaica… in Port Royal, my old home," Elizabeth replied carefully, "It seemed she had somewhat of a crew, but no sign of a ship."

"She'd need more than a ship to get Calypso's attention." Teague chimed in, almost before Elizabeth had finished speaking. He stood up as he continued speaking, "She'd need to offer the goddess somethin' useful… that's obvious, of course, we know that's why she needed the captain of the _Flying Dutchman_ on 'er side- of course, your husband has given his word," Teague half-bowed to Elizabeth as he picked up his guitar from a corner of the room and began to head back to his chair, "But Jack knows Angelica better than me. If he knows anythin' about 'er that might make 'er argument seem more convincing…"

Jack had always been sketchy about what information on Angelica he chose to disclose. He examined his fingers, watching his rings dance in the lantern-light, as he considered his options. He could forever hold his piece, he could save this for the Brethren Court, or… Katie was looking at him for the first time since she'd first entered the room. He sighed, knowing then that the battle was lost.

"I don't know what she learnt off 'er dear old dad, but I know she was always persuasive… an' she'll have thought out every step of the way. She learnt from the best, after all." Jack said, deciding to keep the details minimal. Katie looked away from him again, looking almost disinterested.

"Well, the more persuasive_ you_ can be, boy, the better." Teague said frankly. Elizabeth nodded firmly in agreement and Jack gulped visibly. In the past he'd always been able to get out of these situations, made himself almost impossible to corner, and never let his emotions get in the way of a good escape plan. What he wanted, now that he had seen Shipwreck Island again and knew the gathering of the Brethren Court was imminent, was to run to the ends of the earth. But there wasn't going to be anywhere to run once Calypso was involved. He caught Elizabeth's eye. She knew what he was thinking, and she knew his good side always won anyway… _always_, even when it would do him little good. Jack gritted his teeth, seized his bottle of rum, and stood up.

"Right, well if that's all, I'll be off." He announced, managing to look and sound cheerful. Teague stood up just as quickly.

"Oh no you don't, Jackie." He included Katie in this by throwing her his dark, steady gaze. "We have family matters to discuss now." Elizabeth stood up at this, smiling at Katie before departing the room. Once the door was shut behind her, Teague turned to look at them both threateningly. "You two are gonna sort this out, now."

"Sort what out?" Jack asked quickly, at the same time as Katie said, "We're fine!"

"No, you're not. I could see it written all over your face," Teague pointed at his son, "And you, madam, are clearly upset over something." Katie grimaced as he glared down at her. "I don't care what it is, it gets forgotten while yer here. Understand? We have things to do and it's important you don't ruin this crucial point because of something stupid."

"Why is it so crucial we pretend to be married?" Katie burst out passionately, "He's still gonna pine over her and- and I'm sure she'll realise!" Teague held up his hands.

"Oi, I didn't ask to hear your problems." He said, and Katie clammed up, embarrassed. Teague gave her a half-smile though, to soften the blow. "You two, talk to each other. I'm going. When you come down for dinner, I want this-" He gestured to both of them in turn, "-Sorted. Clear?"

"Yes." Jack and Katie replied in unison. Teague exited and as the door slammed behind him ripples of cold seemed to spread through the room. Katie was back to refusing to look at Jack.

"What's been wrong with you, love?" He asked her quietly. She glanced over her shoulder at him, still sat in her seat.

"Why is it something has to be wrong with me? What if you're the problem?" She cried. Jack's eyes widened.

"Me? What've I done?"

"You've been weird, Jack! Things haven't been the same since- since- _you know_." She went crimson with mortification at the memory of her attempted drunken seduction and Jack's rejection.

"Katie, if things have been different, it's only-"

"No, Jack, you don't need to tell me! You treat me like a sick person, as though you can't speak to me anymore!" Tears prickled in her eyes but she didn't let them spill. "I suppose you can't be mean because we're supposed to be married, but I understand it, alright? You want to put some distance between us. I understand," She said again, "But you're my best friend and I've lost you because of it!" There was a very long silence, one in which Katie hid her face in her hands. Then, the sound of breaking glass punctuated it. Jack had thrown the rum bottle at the wall behind her. A few drops of rum splashed onto Katie, who had jumped up at the sound.

"I've treated you since then with nothing but _respect_!" Jack bellowed, and Katie finally looked at him, shock all over her face. "I could've judged you for your actions, or worse I could've taken advantage that night- God knows I wanted to! But I didn't, _because you are my friend_! Or I thought you were, but now according to you we're not!" He took a step toward her and she took an automatic step back. "What you did- you did it to try and make me happy. Katie, I know how much that must have meant!" She squeezed her eyes shut as he carried on yelling; she was not going to tell him the truth about what she'd done, even if he hated her now. "I wanted to show you I thought more of you than that, regardless! But all I see is a woman who's hurt because I didn't want her- I thought you were different, but its hurt pride, isn't it?"

He didn't mean it, didn't believe that of her, and had no idea how close to the truth he was, though on a much different level. But his frustration at her cold shouldering him, and general ill-feeling at being put in the position he was currently in, sandwiched horribly between Angelica, Calypso and the Brethren Court, drove his anger on. He took two more steps close to her, and as she stepped further away, her back hit the wall, and his lips crashed into hers.

Their two previous kisses had been lustful and tender in turn, but this one was aggressive and bruising. Katie's alarm at his loss of temper changed with the kiss, transforming into an hostility that matched his, and she kissed him back just as hard, trying to hurt him, her nails pressing into his shoulders enough that in a second they would break through the skin. Jack growled against her lips and seized her hands, pinning them to the wall behind her, his mouth moving to her ear lobe, biting down and causing her to go almost limp. He let go of her hands and they found their way to him again, though now they were deft and gentle. In answer, he began to yield a little, not being as harsh, returning his lips to her bruised ones, kissing them apologetically, before wandering to her neck, his hands creeping beneath the shirt she wore and up her bare back, the rough callouses against her skin causing Katie to shiver and whimper out loud as he moved them up and down, then around her waist and to skim below her breasts. Moaning, Katie's head fell onto his shoulder and Jack found he was holding most of her weight as his relentless caressing of her body came to a measured stop.

"Do you know now, how I felt that night?" He whispered. She thought about his groan as she had moved her body against his and slowly raised her head. The pupils within her green irises were dilated and she seemed to almost be in a trance. Her head was in a spin as she looked at him, at the man who had just made her feel a way she had never felt before.

"Jack, I'm sorry." She whispered back.

"Not as sorry as I am, love." He let her go then and she slumped back against the wall for a moment. Jack fished another bottle of rum out of a cabinet, pulled the cork out and drank one long draught from it. Katie regained the use of her legs and came towards him a little, though leaving distance between them. Jack turned to look at her almost warily, as if she might shoot him at any moment. Katie didn't honestly know how she felt towards him at that moment. "I didn't mean what I said. I didn't think you were acting that way out of hurt pride… I was just angry." He said after a fashion, when she didn't speak. Her response remained non-verbal as she nodded. "But I don't understand what I've done wrong, all the same."

"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you." Katie muttered.

"Try me." He looked her dead in the eyes.

"I'm falling in love with you." She answered. Well, it was clear to her now. It had been all very well, before, to tell herself she merely felt a physical attraction to him and loved him only as a friend- those two feelings had seemed like separate entities then and had made it easy to live with him. But with his constant insistence that she had attributes she did not feel she had, the way she had always been able to trust him, and just him for himself, how could she deny it anymore? And it seemed pointless pretending to him, too, because even if he knew and she was embarrassed by it, he still didn't love her in return. His head was still full of Angelica, and she knew no way of making him forget her just yet. Even if his heart was still broken by the Spaniard…

Jack watched Katie's face immediately after her announcement, seeing a range of unidentifiable expressions flit across it. He was tempted to probe his own feelings on this matter, but too great a part of him was afraid of what he might find there. Last time he had done that, he had found love for the daughter of a deadly pirate captain and now said woman wanted him worse than dead. Love killed.

"That's a misfortune of yours, Katie." He answered after what felt like forever. She searched his face but found no answers there. "I have a habit of letting people down, you see. I do unforgiveable things, like the very thing I just did to you. I used our… connection to hurt you. And I promised you I wouldn't do that."

"This is the problem, Jack," Katie said, her throat dry, "You keep spouting these honourable intentions and things to me lately… you're not being you. You're not being _real_."

"You just felt how real I can be, love." Her fingers went to her lips, which were swollen. "Let's not fight anymore. It was hateful, I think you'll agree?" She nodded, and he lifted her hand, kissing her knuckles gently, before leaving her alone. Katie's eyes were dry, and she had no feeling left. She descended the fortress slowly and found Teague at the bottom of the stairs, leaning against the wall opposite, plucking his guitar. He'd been waiting for her reappearance.

**A/N: Thanks so much to Pirate Gyal especially for your continued support, it's been lovely reading every one of your reviews! Thanks to anyone who has read so far! I hope you liked this chapter. A dark side is emerging now, I think you'll see. Well, maybe not, I won't ever know if you don't drop me a review! P.S. you might meet a bit of a shock in the next chapter!**


	11. Moss's Secret

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: Moss's Secret.**

The rest of the Brethren Court arrived over the next few days, some bringing entire fleets of ships with them and some just their flagship. Katie watched with fascination as the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ unloaded, captained by the wooden-legged and fearsome Barbossa.

"Hector!" Jack greeted, his arm moving around Katie's shoulders in the old routine as his former colleague and enemy came towards them.

"Jack Sparrow, long time no see." Barbossa growled.

"It's not been that long!" Jack grinned, showing his gold teeth. "This is my wife, Katie." Barbossa surveyed the young woman before tipping his enormous hat.

"I owe me respec' to anyone willing ter put up with Jack." Barbossa told her, and Katie managed a smile, because she hadn't been tolerating Jack very well at all lately. Since their argument and their third kiss she hadn't spoken to him at all unless totally necessary and merely bore his false affectations with an equally false smile. Barbossa ran his hand over the hilt of his sword, the sword Katie knew Blackbeard had once wielded and gave control over the_ Revenge_ to whoever held it.

"Nice to see you to, Hector." Jack muttered and Barbossa stumped away in the direction of the tavern located near the Cove. As soon as he was out of earshot, Katie removed Jack's arm from around her and began heading inside the fortress. Jack watched her go, perturbed. Seconds later, he saw Moss fall into step beside her and he felt a twinge of annoyance. Jack didn't have much time to contemplate this anymore, however, because he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He didn't have to look around to know who that hand belonged to.

"You didn't sort it out, Jackie." Teague growled. Jack sighed, knowing he was in for a long night. They headed to the same tavern Barbossa had disappeared to and Teague fixed Jack with a dark, steely look. "That girl is worth 'er wait in gold, boy."

"I know." Jack mumbled.

"Well?"

"Well, she told me she's… uh…" Jack stammered.

"Falling in love with you." Teague finished. "She told me everythin'." It had not been easy for Katie to discuss kissing Jack with a man- she'd wished she could tell Elizabeth, but she would think it odd that a woman would react so unusually to being kissed by her own husband.

"Well, then. What do you want me to do, Dad?" Jack sighed. It was rare that Teague and Jack acknowledged their relationship out loud, and Teague recognised it then as a cry for help.

"You need to do whatever it takes to get 'er happy with you again. And more importantly, you 'ave to start puttin' somethin' into it."

"I'm the one who does most the work! All the flirtin' and the introductions…"

"An' then you turn around an' treat her the opposite way." Jack growled at this.

"I'm being respectful, _because_ I respect her! Women are meant to like that!"

"Jackie," Teague shook his head, almost laughing at the disparaging look on his son's face, "She knows you respect 'er. She wants yer heart, boy, not yer honourable intentions." Jack thought about this; was this what Katie had been trying to tell him? A frown crossed his face.

"I can't give 'er that." He muttered.

"Yes, you can, if you stop believin' it belongs to that Spanish harlot."

"Well… doesn't it?" Jack wondered. He had always privately believed if he truly loved a woman, he would only ever love one. And that woman had been Angelica, a woman he had known for so long now that he couldn't really remember a time he hadn't known her, hadn't loved her. He would never admit to such romantic notions out loud of course, and his first and most important love would always be the sea.

"Only you know the answer, Jackie. I'm just puttin' the idea out there." Teague took a gulp of his rum and Jack glanced around the tavern. He recognised Scrum and a few other members of Barbossa's crew were playing some sort of drinking game a few tables away.

"I don't know how the answer would help anyone, anyway." Jack said stubbornly, looking back round at his father. But Teague had vanished. "I hate it when he does that." Jack grumbled to himself, getting to his feet and electing to join the drinking game. If he'd ever needed inebriation, it was then.

* * *

><p>Moss and Katie walked around the Cove together, talking. Katie was glad to have someone to talk to about lighter topics of conversation. With Jack, things always seemed to have a serious undertone between them nowadays and the rest of the pirates only seemed to talk shop. Many of them, of course, had no idea how to have a conversation with a woman and Katie hadn't found a way to talk to Elizabeth that didn't involve her spilling the beans about her and Jack's fake marriage.<p>

"So the Court meets tomorrow night, I hear." Moss commented. Katie nodded.

"They all wanted a night to settle in- or get drunk, as we would call it." She replied. Moss laughed.

"You didn't choose to join them this night, though." He noted. Katie shrugged. "Katie, there is something I wanted to tell you." At these words, Katie felt her insides fill with dread. Thus far, she had managed to cut Moss off in his attempts to declare his love, and besides the other day they had agreed to be friends and draw a line under the past. But Moss had stopped walking, and was stood looking at her in a dark patch of the Cove, out of sight of the fortress. Katie stopped too, steeling herself to find the words Jack had not been brave enough to speak; a consoling rejection.

"I've done something quite terrible, Katie. Please understand that I never meant to hurt you." Katie frowned at these words; it was not what she'd been expecting to hear.

"Moss, what are you talking about?" She asked quietly. She had a strange sense of foreboding, though a very different one than that which had gripped her when she'd believed he was going to confess his feelings to her.

"Please understand Katie that none of this ever factored in my meeting you… what I feel for you is genuine, but I must betray you and Jack's secret." Moss closed his eyes for a second and took a breath before opening them.

"Betray us to…whom?" Katie questioned, but she already knew the answer, just as surely as she felt the knife in her back- both metaphorical and literal, as a dagger was sunk into her body from behind her, just between her right shoulder blade and her spinal column, with a great deal of force behind it. She heard the screech of the voice belonging to her attacker, though her ears were ringing with the pain, and she saw Moss in front of her, shock on his face, and she felt herself with her pistol in her hand, the gift from Teague, and heard the bullet rip through Moss' body. The sound of the gun seemed to echo in her ears, there was a fourth person here now, the clang of a sword, a scream, and Katie was on her knees.

She was going to die. She knew she was going to die. Moss was already dead. Everything went black, and then…

* * *

><p>"No! Wake up, you have to wake up! Please, Katie…" The voice in her ear was female, and rough with panic. A hand pushed her hair off of her face, which was pressed with one side against the sand and dirt beneath her. Although her vision was swimming, Katie recognised Elizabeth. "Katie, thank God, stay with me! HELP! QUICK!" Elizabeth bellowed, then looked back at Katie. "I followed you… I saw you walking this way and I knew… I knew nobody came to this part of the Cove, it's dangerous, you can't see who's coming in and out. And… oh Katie, I'm so sorry I didn't get there faster!" Katie's eyes closed. Her mind was too full of the pain in her back to think of anything else.<p>

"I heard someone call for help?" Barbossa's voice interjected Elizabeth's fearful rambling. "Ain't that Sparrow's wife?"

"Yes, Barbossa, she was stabbed!" Elizabeth held up the silver dagger which she'd removed from her friend's back. It was saturated with blood.

"We'll move 'er. It's cold out here, too, can't be good fer 'er." Katie was vaguely aware of the fact she was being lifted off the ground, and being carried by Barbossa, whose uneven gait gave him away. It felt like an eternity before warmth was around her and she realised with a faraway part of her mind that they must be back inside the fortress, perhaps inside the Main Hall, given the amount of noise.

"Who did it?" Gibbs' voice asked.

"Angelica." Elizabeth said, "It must have been her." There was a pause, and then a scurry as every other pirate in the room left. They were going to find her, the woman who had successfully infiltrated Shipwreck Island and had probably done so to try and eavesdrop on the Brethren Court.

"She cannot die!" Gibbs called out to them.

"We'll take 'er as far out to sea as we can and dump her. It's night, she'll never find 'er way back!" There was a loud shout of general agreement, and then the door slammed behind them. Barbossa lay her on the table carefully, so that she was on her side and not her back. Elizabeth moved Katie's red hair away from the wound and winced when she saw the deep cut and the sheer amount of blood pouring from it.

"Katie?" Elizabeth spoke gently. Katie was fading.

"Plug the wound, she's losin' too much blood." Gibbs said firmly, managing to keep his head in the crisis. Elizabeth took off her coat and pressed it to the wound. Katie had become very white and had still not made a sound.

"Someone should get Jack." Elizabeth suggested.

"He'll already 'ave heard." Barbossa declared. "Damn Spanish wench, comin' 'ere! How did she get to the island?"

"Moss. He was spying for her." Elizabeth replied bleakly. Gibbs looked around, shocked. "Threatening to betray Katie and Jack's secret, whatever that means. He didn't get to say before it all happened- Angelica came out from nowhere behind her and Katie shot Moss. He's dead." She added.

"Good girl." Barbossa said coldly, and Gibbs nodded in agreement.

"This is gonna need stitching." The latter pointed to the wound. The bleeding did seem to have lessened.

"I can do it, if you can get me thread." Elizabeth offered. She had stitched many wounds before now, was no stranger to grave hurt and injury. Gibbs departed in search of what was needed and there was a long pause during which Barbossa removed the pistol Katie was still clutching from her deathly grip to examine it. Elizabeth put her hand on Katie's cheek to try and spread warmth to her. The girl was beginning to tremble slightly, though she was hardly conscious.

After what felt like an eternity, the door into the hall swung open again and Jack came in. It was clear by his eyes that he was as drunk as a Lord when he entered, but Elizabeth in particular saw sobriety rapidly returning when he laid eyes upon Katie. He rushed to her, barging Barbossa out of the way without a second glance.

"No." He said, "No, no, no, no, no." His voice was uncharacteristically hollow-sounding. "This can't be happening. Katie." Her eyes fluttered when she recognised Jack's voice, and she managed to focus on him. His hand gripped hers and she feebly squeezed it back. He didn't know what else to say, so he looked up at Elizabeth. She was watching him with a strange expression on her face.

"I'll stitch her up, and then I think it's best you take her to your room." She advised him quietly. Jack nodded dumbly, then bent closer to Katie. She was still looking at him, her lips moving silently. He had to get very close to hear her at all:

"I'm sorry." She barely whispered, "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't." He begged, so only she would hear, "This is my fault." Gibbs returned then with the needle and thread and left again with Barbossa, who placed the pistol into the crook of Katie's arm before leaving. Jack helped Elizabeth remove Katie's shirt. Why was it they only saw each other undressed when the other was injured? Jack didn't look closely at her body, didn't look at all as Elizabeth went to work on the wound. Gibbs had also gotten some clean bandages and they dressed the wound carefully. Jack blanched at the idea of putting the soiled, bloody shirt back onto Katie and so removed his coat, wrapping her in it before lifting her, much more gently than Barbossa had. Elizabeth followed him as he carried Katie up endless staircases to the room they were sharing whilst they were here. A fire was blazing in the hearth and Elizabeth succeeded in pouring a little water into Katie's mouth once she'd been laid softly on the bed.

Jack sat beside Katie, still holding her hand, just staring at her. Elizabeth made to duck out quietly, but Jack stopped her: "Lizzie," He croaked, and she turned back as she reached the door. His mouth formed soundless words which she understood to mean 'thanks'. She smiled sadly.

"Anything, Jack."

Jack tried to stay awake the whole night, keeping an eye on Katie, who soon fell into a very restless, painful sleep. But soon, sleep took him too, the alcohol mixing with exhaustion. When he awoke in the morning, he was not resting his head on the pillow but was bent awkwardly on the edge of Katie's side of the bed, his head resting on her stomach, his hand still clutching hers. She was awake and staring glassy-eyed down at him.

"This is my fault," He repeated the same words he'd spoken to her the night before. "I shouldn't have… treated you how I did. Then you would've been safe with me."

"Don't blame yourself." She said, her lips turning white from pain as she shifted. "Wasn't you. Was _her_."

"I 'eard you're a good shot." Jack said, and both of them almost managed a smile. "Just… don't scare me like that again, alright? When I 'eard you'd been… I thought you were…"

"Don't." She pronounced the single syllable again, apparently with difficulty. Her entire body seemed to ache, the place she'd been stabbed in particular. She realised she was naked on the top half of her body except for Jack's coat, which was hanging wide open to reveal one breast. She reached with her right arm to close it and groaned in pain. Jack realised what she was trying to do and pulled the coat to better cover her. He looked sombre. "I shouldn't… have… said anything… to you. The other night."

"That's another thing what's my fault." Jack said stoutly, playing with his hat.

"No. Could've let it go."

"Shut it. I handled this all terribly. Just… focus on feeling better, alright?" He didn't want to talk about any of that right now. Worry still had him in its grip as he gazed on Katie's pale, weak complexion.

"Focus on… the Court. S'important." She said, through lidded eyes.

"Yeah… and I'll find you a surgeon today. There's usually one among pirates. Necessity." He put his hat back on his head and stood up. "I'll be back soon."

"Alright." She sighed, almost peacefully until her breath caught in her throat as pain seared through her body once more. Jack hard it and stopped, looking back down at her. He knew, after this, that he could never leave her alone after this. This stank of Angelica's fury and jealousy. He should be glad Katie had shot Moss before he could reveal their marriage was a sham, and yet if he had then this never would have happened. It didn't seem worth it, now. Halfway down the stairs of the fortress, he ran into Elizabeth, her face white with anxiety.

"How is she?" She demanded, "Where are you going?"

"To find a doctor… something for the pain." Jack grunted, his mouth dry.

"I'll stay with her." Elizabeth said, seizing his forearm so tightly he thought it might bruise, but he looked into her eyes and nodded. He was more grateful to Elizabeth Swann right now than he'd been to anybody else in his life.

**A/N: Hello everyone, thank you for reading! I appreciate this chapter was quite heavy on the violence, but I think you all know what the shock I warned you about was! Please let me know what you think! Thanks so much to Pattree77, I haven't forgotten you, your support means a lot ! **


	12. Convalescence

**CHAPTER TWELVE: Convalescence **

The opium sent Katie into a kind of waking slumber. Sometimes she knew what was going on around her and sometimes she didn't. Jack never left her side, save for when the Brethren Court met. He tried to convey to her the outcome, and she grasped that Elizabeth and Jack had again teamed up against the other Lord's to secure the binding of the Calypso. Nothing could be done yet though, because winter was setting in and more research was needed to find out how it could be done. When the morphine subsided, Katie would sob both because of the return of the pain and because the withdrawal made her legs kick uncontrollably and she shook all over. The doctor visited everyday under threat by Teague, and after a couple of weeks her dose was ended and Katie felt as if she was waking for the first time in years.

Jack was asleep beside her, though she could tell it was not a deep sleep. Dark circles were visible beneath his eyes, showing the extent of his restlessness. When he felt Katie shift beside him, he woke up and saw the spark of life in her again replacing the dead look behind the eyes that the opium had given her.

"Jack," She whispered.

"What do you need, love?" He sat up fast.

"Water, please." He helped her to sit up, careful to arrange the pillows so that they supported her without putting pressure on her wound. He remembered her tending to his minor gunshot wound as seriously as anything, and wished he was as adept at looking after somebody as she was. Nonetheless, he handed her the water bottle. Her arms trembled as she struggled to hold it, and so he helped her bring it to her lips and take a deep, much needed drink. Then she looked at him again, sat close beside her, worry pinching his handsome face. "How's me girl?" He asked, and she felt the first flutter of emotion in her stomach when he called her _his_ girl.

"I've been better," She smiled feebly, "How is my captain?"

"Glad yer still with us." She reached for his hand and he let her take it, though she said nothing. "Katie, I know I've said this… but I'm sorry- not just about this, about everything. I'm sorry I can't say…"

"I know." She stalled him before he had to struggle on any more. "Let's not talk about that now." He nodded and there was a pause. "I killed a man." She said finally, looking troubled.

"Just a day in the life of a pirate." Jack said, but she could tell his smirk was forced. He was watching her as if she was a grenade about to go off at any moment, hardly blinking in case he missed her take a turn for the worse.

"Does it really come so easily to you?" Katie probed, "Murder?" Jack gazed down at their entwined fingers for a second before he shook his head. Her grip tightened on his hand then and he looked up at her. "I didn't even realise the gun was in my hand."

"Survival instinct. If you hadn't done that, Elizabeth might not have known to come closer and Angelica would have…" Jack swallowed, "…Killed you. Listen, you 'ave to promise me something now, love."

"Yes?" She responded meekly.

"Well, two things actually: firstly, you don't get friendly with jellyfish like Moss and certainly don't go on night time strolls with them." Jack said sternly. Katie managed a slight giggle, though she winced as she did so. "Second, if I ever get any fits of gallantry towards you ever again, ye slap me as hard as you possibly can."

"Oh, you shouldn't make me laugh!" Katie gasped with mirth. Jack chuckled, feeling heartened by her humour.

"Promise." He insisted.

"I promise." She said, sincerely. She had no desire to do the former anyway, and the latter was certainly fine by her. Jack lifted her hand and kissed it, his eyes on hers, making her stomach flutter in spite of her convalescent state.

"I'm gonna get you something to eat now, and Elizabeth will be dying to speak to you now yer with us." And, he was dying for a bottle of quality rum. He hadn't touched a drop since the night of Angelica's attack.

Elizabeth indeed was overjoyed to hear of Katie's improvement and flew up to their room as soon as she heard, bursting in the door without even knocking. Katie was propped up in bed with a book open in her lap, although her eyes were drooping and she seemed unable to focus. The remains of the food Jack had brought her earlier were on a tray balanced on the edge of the bedside table.

"Katie!" She hugged her before thinking, causing Katie to hiss in pain. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

"S'alright." Katie grimaced, settling back into her previous position

"How are you feeling?" Katie thought about how much her back was killing her, how every movement hurt, how close she had come to death and how even after all of that she still felt a thrill every time Jack looked at her. How had she ever been so blind as to think she'd ever been anything but totally in love with that man? However, she said none of this.

"Sort of sick of answering that question." She'd had visits from Gibbs, Teague, Barbossa and a couple of curious Pirate Lord's that day. Elizabeth nodded.

"I would be, too, honestly. Did Jack tell you what the Brethren Court decided?" Katie could hardly remember those hazy conversations she'd had with him under the influence of opium, and now that her mind was functioning again she'd been inundated on all sides by mixed information and accounts of what had gone on in that meeting. But she had no desire to think of it now, knowing they were stuck here on the island for at least a couple of months anyway. Her head turned to the window, trying to see the open sea without any success.

"What day is it?" Katie asked distractedly. She hadn't been aware of the date for a long time now.

"Tomorrow is Christmas Eve." Elizabeth replied thoughtfully, noting that Katie had evaded her question. "We were planning a nice dinner in Teague's quarters for Christmas Day…" Katie's expression changed, "…Oh, but of course it's yours and Jack's first Christmas together." Katie had almost forgotten Jack was supposed to be her husband.

"No… no, I hope that I will be able attend." Elizabeth beamed. She'd never gotten to have Christmas with Will as a married couple so knew what a wrench it must be, yet she was relieved that Katie seemed not to mind so much. She left Katie's room a half an hour later, when it was clear that the latter was far too tired to continue a conversation. Katie drifted in and out of sleep, unable to really rest, until Jack returned to their room. It must have been very late at night as the room was pitch black, but he felt his way carefully into bed so as not to jostle her. Katie smelt the rum on his breath and made him jump as her cold hand grazed his face, fingers settling on his lips.

"I'm glad to see you're back to normal." She told him in a soft voice. Jack smiled and she felt his mouth move with it. He reached up to the icy appendage and laid it instead against his neck, enjoying the coolness of it as she enjoyed the spread of warmth. "Why didn't you tell me it was almost Christmas?"

"You weren't in any state to be told." Jack replied.

"You told me other things." She reminded him, "Important things."

"Yeah well… Christmas didn't cross me mind, to be honest. Not a happy holiday when yer wife nearly dies." There was a silence.

"I'm not really your wife, Jack." She pointed out, though her tone was teasing.

"Oh," He said, "We've been sayin' it fer so long I forgot." His voice still filtered through a smile, one that Katie returned even though he couldn't see it. Soon after that they both fell asleep for first real rest they'd had in a fortnight.

With the aid of some rum, Katie managed to get up and out of bed on Christmas Eve night. Jack watched as she gingerly made her way to the window, where she sighed a relief at the sight of the sea. She found she missed it now that she was stuck on land. Elizabeth had managed to get a loose shimmy onto Katie earlier that day, one that was big enough it hung down at the back, revealing the bright red scar that was barely healed. Jack remembered how much opium the doctor had given Katie before tugging the stitches out, how she hadn't even squeaked in pain. He came up beside her at the window and saw that she was gripping the sill, her knuckles white, her face pale again.

"We should get you back to bed." He muttered.

"No… not yet." Katie insisted, though she let him lead her a few steps back into the room, a gentle arm around her waist. Then she stopped. "Back home… every Christmas Eve we attend this ball." Jack looked at her.

"I don't think yer up to much dancing yet, love." He told her.

"Just one dance?" Katie fixed him with puppy-dog eyes and Jack sighed, defeated, a smirk about his mouth as he took one of her hands and placed his own hand on her waist.

"Just the one then." He steered her carefully in a slow waltz. Katie's eyes closed, both in order to lose herself in the dance and to try and disguise the pain she was feeling. Jack wasn't fooled though and tolerated it only for a few minutes before he brought her to a gentle stop. Katie's eyes fluttered open once more and met his. "Happy Christmas, Katie." He murmured, planting a kiss on her cheek that seemed to tingle afterwards.

Katie had always loved Christmas; it'd always been her favourite day of the year. And even in her state of recovery she still found herself waking up when the sun had barely risen. Despite the earliness of the hour, the first thing she noticed was a small box resting on the pillow beside her head. The second thing was that Jack was gone. Frowning at the box, she struggled into a sitting position and picked it up. It was of claret coloured velvet. Inside was a woman's ring, silver or white gold and engraved painstakingly with floral patterns. Set into the top was a bright emerald, the same colour as Katie's eyes. She stared down at it, unsure; the ring was undoubtedly beautiful, but she didn't know what it meant, if anything. She turned it and was turning it over in her hands, examining it, when the bedroom door opened and Jack entered.

"Oh, you're already awake." He stated the obvious, smirking. "You found your present, then?"

"Yes, I…" She said, lost for words.

"I stole it for you especially," Jack's grin became wider, "I thought it an odd sticking point that ye don't even 'ave a wedding ring." Katie just gaped at him, the ring still clasped in her fingers, and Jack laughed, coming over to sit beside her on the edge of the bed.

"It's lovely." Katie said, finally.

"It'd look nicer on yer finger." Jack noted. She laughed and slipped it onto her left ring finger. Both she and Jack looked down at it for a moment. "Are you sure you're gonna be alright at dinner, love?"

"I can't stay in bed forever." She replied. The truth was, while she was still in pain, the worst of it had been suffered under the influence of opium. "I'll take a drink before." She added meekly, after a minute's thought. Jack nodded. "I, um… didn't get you anything." Katie realised suddenly.

"You didn't 'ave to." Jack waved her off immediately.

"This is…"

"A stolen ring, love."

"Yes, but it's a really_ nice_ stolen ring." Katie answered imploringly. Jack thought about it.

"Alright, ye may give me a kiss." He presented his cheek to her and Katie laughed, brushing her lips against his cheekbone. "Merry Christmas, Mrs Sparrow." He winked.

"Merry Christmas, Captain Sparrow." She smiled. Jack immediately jumped up and headed over to the trunk full of clothes they had brought with them from _The Black Pearl_. He presented her with a loose shirt and some breeches. "Um, have you seen Elizabeth today?" Katie asked slightly nervously. She'd never be able to get this shimmy off. Jack opened his mouth to ask but then realised what she was thinking and stopped.

"I could 'elp you." He offered slightly awkwardly. It wasn't as if he'd never seen a naked woman before, yet he knew Katie wasn't too comfortable with this idea. She seemed to be thinking of a way to say this. "I won't make you feel uncomfortable, love." Katie met his eyes uncertainly, but accepted with a nod. She didn't have much of a choice, after all.

Getting carefully to her feet, she turned slowly around so her back was facing Jack, who stepped up behind her. His hands lingered slightly around her shoulders before he gently peeled the material away from her scar. Then, he reached down to the hem of the skirt and pulled upwards. Katie had some difficulty raising her arms, but Jack managed to get it off her with minimal pain. Stood naked before him, Katie looked over her shoulder at Jack. He watched her red hair as it moved against her creamy skin, blocking the ugly scar from view. There was an apprehension in Katie's face now, an unanswered question there.

"You're… beautiful." Jack murmured; it was true. He had to stop his eyes wandering where they weren't welcome, not to mention his hands, in this intimate moment between them.

"Really?" She asked in a small voice.

"'How many times 'ave I said it?" Jack said rhetorically, pulling her arm through one sleeve of the shirt. Katie faced front as she suppressed the shiver she felt run through her when his rough hand brushed her bare skin. Once the shirt was on, Katie pulled it across her front and turned around. Jack began to help her button it up, although that wasn't strictly necessary. His breathing was slow and deep, and Katie could feel that breath hot on her face. After pulling on the breeches and then sliding her feet into a pair of flat slippers, Katie was happy to seize the bottle of rum sat on top of the dresser and drink some for the pain. It seemed Jack was having trouble looking at her, though he took her hand as he led her from the room, feeling the emerald on her ring finger beneath his own finger.

**A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is short, I could just feel myself running out of steam on what was happening here! I hope you guys don't mind. Thanks so much for the lovely reviews I got on the last chapter, keep them rolling in guys! Especially as the last chapter was riddled with grammar mistakes I failed to spot, probably because most of it was written at 3am! I'll put them right eventually but there was nothing major! I'll shut up now! Reviews please!**


	13. Divine Meals

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Divine Meals**

The table in Teague's quarters was groaning under the weight of all the Christmas food, from the huge golden goose to the sweetmeats, vegetables and cakes surrounding it. Katie hadn't had much of an appetite since her stabbing but her stomach growled hungrily at the sight and smell of the food; this would be the best meal she'd eaten since she and Jack had stayed at the inn in France. In addition to Teague and Elizabeth, they were joined by Barbossa and Gibbs. The former was resolutely munching an apple as Jack and Katie took their seats.

"Good to see yer lookin' well." Barbossa commented to Katie. He seemed to have taken a liking to the girl- most people took a liking to Katie, Jack had noticed. As his supposed wife, it made relations with the other pirates much easier.

"Thank you." She smiled at the grizzled old man.

"Well, tuck in." Teague advised the group, and Elizabeth and Jack laughed as Katie seized a leg of the goose and pulled it off without further ado.

"I've turned 'er pirate through and through." Jack grinned, helping himself to food too.

"It's just as well- we need a good pirate to face Angelica." Teague said.

"Might not come to that, once Calypso is bound." Jack shrugged complacently.

"You know there will be a confrontation, Jack. There always is." Elizabeth reasoned. Katie nodded in agreement; this matter wouldn't rest- not least because she didn't wish it to. Before, she had hated Angelica for what she'd put Jack through and the threat she had posed to all of them. But now, she had been personal harmed by Angelica and she wanted pay-back.

"We 'ave hurricane season to survive before we can move an inch off this island." Gibbs reminded them all, "The sea is choppy at this time o' year and it's far too cold."

"How's the research into binding Calypso been goin'?" Jack asked through a mouthful of potatoes. Katie rolled her eyes at his uncouthness.

"The first Brethren Court were either too scared or too illiterate to leave records of how they did it the first time." Teague explained.

"But they must have had some- some literature or something to tell them how to do it." Katie piped up, wincing as she tried to reach too fast for her glass of wine.

"There's a library here full of lore on the seas and ancient magic… but it's not in any order and most of it's in bad condition." Elizabeth informed her. Katie bit her lip; pirates of course wouldn't see the need to keep any books in good condition. Elizabeth, coming from an upper class background, of course felt her pain.

"I could help with the research…" Katie offered.

"Absolutely not." Jack interjected firmly, "You need to heal."

"And sitting around reading is going to interfere with that how?" Katie asked, her voice getting slightly shrill. Jack opened his mouth and Teague growled in an undertone, "Pick yer battles, Jackie…" Jack glanced at his father and then Gibbs, who shook his head. Barbossa looked extremely amused by procedings.

"I can bring some of the books up to your room and we can read together." Elizabeth said, in an attempt to appease both parties. She was also struggling not to smile at the bickering married couple.

"Fine by me." Jack grunted, and Katie kicked him on the shin under the table. He glared at her for a second but then ended up looking away with mirth glinting in his dark eyes. Teague watched the whole exchange quite smugly; his plan seemed to be coming along nicely, even if neither Jack nor Katie realised it yet. After a lot of food and wine, the party broke up. Gibbs announced he needed to sleep the food off and Barbossa had no interest in the merriment. Elizabeth departed and Jack followed, but Teague called Katie back:

"Oi," He called, and she turned back to him as she reached the door, her footsteps faltering and gentle to avoid pain if possible. "Yer doing alright, Katie." He said it like a statement, not a question, his eyes fixed on hers. Teague was constant, unshakeable, and Katie as usual found him reassuring. She nodded to him in response after a pause, and Jack poked his head back round the door.

"Where've you gotten to?" He demanded.

"I'm coming." She replied, letting him take her by the waist in order to aid her down the staircase outside. Katie was too busy concentrating on this to see Jack look back at his father, or to see the knowing look Teague gave him.

Elizabeth came up to Katie and Jack's room the following afternoon with a large stack of assorted books and papers for them to begin to go through.

"This is everything I could carry in one go. These are the minutes of the first Brethren Court, and a few books about Heathen God's." Elizabeth explained, setting the pile down on the large oak desk in the corner. Katie was sat up in bed with her hands folded in her lap, examining her 'wedding' ring. She was already very attached to it. Jack was sat beside her on top of the covers, back against the headboard, fiddling with his compass. He looked over at the pile.

"Can I see the minutes?" He reached out a hand.

"I didn't realise you were planning to help." Elizabeth commented, amused.

"I can't sail, and a man has to do somethin' with 'is time." Jack shrugged, and thus the reading and researching began. The Brethren Court's minutes were scrawled soppily across various scraps of parchment, badly spelt, alluding to the goddess and the election of the first Pirate King. It took a long time to decipher them, not to mention the books containing myths and legends. Very few mentions were made specifically of Calypso anywhere, and the process was long and laborious.

Days passed, a new year chimed in, and Jack, Katie and Elizabeth spent day and night reading and note-taking. Both women were quite impressed by Jack's ability to concentrate on such an academic task, though admittedly he did so with the aid of a lot of rum. Katie's stab-wound was healing well now and a measure of strength returning to her. It only really hurt when somebody pressed it. Eventually, as predicted by Gibbs, storm season hit Shipwreck Island. Noticing the forebodingly dark skies outside in the middle of the day, Elizabeth rushed off to find her crew to secure the _Empress_ against the violent winds. Jack leapt up to do the same with _The Black Pearl. _Katie stood up too, reaching for her boots, and Jack looked at her like she was insane.

"Where do ye think yer going?" He demanded.

"To help you with the ship!" Katie replied.

"Oh no yer not!"

"Jack, you're going to need every spare set of hands for this. It's looking ugly out there and there isn't much time." She already had her boots on and was pulling on a thick woollen coat Jack had 'acquired' from somewhere for her for when her strength was back and they would be sailing again. Jack looked from Katie to the window and back again. "What did you say I was to do if you had any more _fits of gallantry_?" Katie quoted. Jack couldn't help but half-grin at this.

"Alright, fine, but if yer collapse or catch yer death it's on yer own 'ead!" He announced. Katie rolled her eyes, but then hesitated and picked up a silver dagger from the desk. It was the very dagger she'd been stabbed with, though it'd been cleaned and returned to her by Elizabeth. Figuring it was as good as hers now; Katie slipped it into her boot and also shoved her pistol into her belt before following Jack out the door and through the fortress.

When the wind hit her in the face, whipping her hair about, Katie realised this was the first time she'd been outside in quite a long time. As they got nearer to the dock, the salty smell of the sea filled their nostrils and both Jack and Katie breathed it in appreciatively. Gibbs and several other crew members were already climbing aboard _The Black Pearl_ ahead of them, as around them other pirate ships were also being hurriedly manned.

"Captain! Orders!" Gibbs yelled as Jack and Katie came aboard.

"We sail 'round the mountain, lee side of the wind, she'll be safest there from the storm! Batten down the hatches!" Jack yelled to be heard over the sound of the wind. Katie hurried to tie down one of the ropes attached to the sails and secure the rigging as Jack took the helm. In no time at all they were moving, though it was slow progress against the ever-changing wind. The sea tossed huge waves against the side of the ship, some of them splashing over onto the deck, one of them right over Katie, though for once she was invigorated rather than annoyed by this. Task done, she hurried to the helm, which Jack was struggling to hold, though his grin was wide and happy. She added her weight against it and the two of them held it steady. They managed to pass through the treacherous rocks which had sunk many a ship before and, once clear, the wind was mainly behind them, propelling them around the edge of the island, though the waves were against them.

"You can let go now, love." Jack said, audible now that the wind was blasting Katie in the ears as strongly. Katie let the helm go and saw that he was indeed holding it easily now, but she staggered sideways as the ship rocked on the sea and Jack caught her one-armed. She gasped as his hand connected momentarily with her stab-wound. He moved his arm further down, around her waist, and peered down at her: "Sorry."

"It's fine." She said, through gritted teeth. It didn't hurt anywhere near as much as it once would have, which was good enough for Katie all things considered. She cast a glance towards the island to orientate herself as to where exactly they were, and found herself gazing at almost the exact place she'd been when Angelica had attacked and she'd shot Moss. Jack followed her gaze and unexpectedly pulled her into his chest.

"I still stand by what I said," He told her, "Ye did the right thing that night. Don't let it eat you up, focus on what we're doin' now, alright?" Katie nodded, her face buried in between his shoulder and neck. "We're past there, now." She looked round and they had indeed rounded the corner where the small mountain- really a large hill- stood, a different patch of the shore visible. A flash of lightning illuminated everything, followed closely by a deafening crash of thunder; though no rain had yet fallen, the storm was upon then. Luckily, within moments, they had beached the ship on the sand.

"Just in time!" Gibbs called, as there was another fork of lightning and the sea roiled angrily. It was hard work walking up the beach towards the trees beyond it with the wind so strong they were all close to falling over. Katie was walking almost doubled over and even as they reached the trees, the wind uprooted one of them. It was a small one, true enough, but it was all the omen they needed.

"We're not gonna make it back to the Cove in this!" Jack yelled, though the wind drowned most of his voice again. Katie frowned as she heard it, though not what he said, but thinking along the same lines. The heavens opened on cue and aggressive, cold rain battered them. Gibbs and the other crewmen ran for the trees, though wisely to bury themselves in the underbrush for cover and not under the lightning-magnetising trees themselves. Katie hesitated and Jack grabbed her, pulling her in a certain direction. She stumbled and staggered after him, eyes almost shut against the rain, and it felt that the short walk took hours before she realised Jack had led her to a sort of cave at the foot of the mountain. The sound of the wind was largely cut off upon entry. Before she could question anything, Jack had ventured back outside and then in again, arms full of ferns and fallen branches that had been shielded by the trees and so were dry.

"We might be in 'ere some time." He explained, indicating his load. Katie watched as Jack busied himself in starting a fire. Once the flames were flickering, more of the cave was illuminated; it was not very big, but sturdy. "Yer first trip out's already been eventful." Jack grinned. Katie smiled.

"I seem to attract trouble, don't I?"

"Nothing we can't 'andle." He settled beside her against the cave wall. She was still wet from the waves and then the rain, and she shivered a little. "Ye'll warm up soon." He nodded to the fire.

"Yes…" Katie was content. It was nice to have something to look at other than pages and volumes of myths and legends of the sea. The pair were silent for quite some time. Katie was lost in her own thoughts, watching the flames, and Jack got up every now and then to check the sky outside. It looked like night time, though it was really afternoon. Katie fiddled with the ring he had given her. It had not left her finger since she'd put it on.

"Are we gonna sit here all day and not say a word?" Jack asked her finally. Katie looked around at him.

"You weren't saying anything either." She pointed out.

"Aye, that be true." He conceded. Katie raised her eyebrows expectantly at him. "Well, we've spent so much time together lately it seems we've exhausted all topics of conversation, love. Sounds just like marriage to me!" He added, grinning.

"You don't have a very positive view of marriage, do you?"

"_Au contraire_, I think marriage is a wonderful thing. And I love weddings, me." Jack contradicted her. Katie smirked, amused. "But we didn't have a wedding, did we?" His eyes went to her fingers, still fiddling with the ring. Katie looked down at it to, before meeting his eyes once more. "We're married in so many senses of the word now, love."

"Not really." She mumbled.

"We might not 'ave walked down any aisles or consummated our love, but we're married in the small ways, are we not? You're the last thing I see before I go to sleep, first thing I see when I wake up…" He was flirting with her now, Katie realised, seeing the twinkle in his dark eyes.

"You shouldn't toy with me in this manner, Captain Sparrow. It's improper."

"Aye, that it is." The twinkle faded and was replaced by something searching as he gazed at her, as if he was trying to identify something specific in her face. All she could think of was her own words echoing around her head: '_I'm falling in love with you'. _

"Jack," She began tentatively, "I know you can't stop… you can't switch off your feelings for _her_…"

"Katie, if those feelings weren't dead before, they are now." Jack told her, a hard look in his face then. But Katie knew him better now than anybody else on earth, including Jack himself. The past few weeks, when he had nursed her back to health and helped her with everything, she had seen more completely who Jack was deep down.

"You haven't had closure," Katie told him, her voice full of nerves, though she ploughed on: "Even if those feelings are… gone, that can't be helped yet. But Jack, I need to know something, and I need your honest answer now." Jack's hand curled around hers in her lap, warm and comforting to Katie, in a gesture she took to be an agreement. "Could you… love me, do you think? In spite of her and what she is to you?" Jack did not answer, a question in his eyes. "Because I don't think I can carry on this way forever, with the way we are, and how close we are getting, if there isn't even a possibility of that." This last part was said in a rush, as if it hurt her less to say it quickly. Jack was quiet for a long time, but he did not let go of her hand. Instead, he turned it over so the palm was facing upwards. He brought it to his lips and as they brushed it, a cold gust of wind blew directly into the cave and extinguished the fire in one go.

"Bugger!" Jack cursed.

"Jack!" Katie complained. Surprisingly he chuckled and she felt his fingers begin a path up her arm. He was remembering what Teague had said about accepting his heart didn't _have _to belong to Angelica. His fingers reached her neck, pushing her damp hair away so that he could lay his fingers against the place where her pulse could be felt; at the contact, he felt it beginning to race.

"I think the day could be in the offing, love." He murmured to her, moving so that his face was close to hers. "But you need to know I'll want all of you. I have yer heart, ye've offered me yer body, but I need yer soul too. I need to know the truth about why yer here and I need to know why, in the name o' God, ye've picked _me_." They both laughed at this past part, breathy laughs that caressed each other's faces.

"And?" She whispered.

"An' I'll have yer heart for breakfast, yer soul fer tea… and yer body, of course, will be the dessert." As he said it, he applied his lips to her neck. Not expecting it, Katie gasped as he pulled her skin between his teeth, sucking. After a moment, during which she exhaled a breath, he withdrew. Katie raised her hand to the place, cringing as it stung; it was definitely going to bruise.

"Fine." Katie agreed. She knew this may be putting a timer on when she would finally speak the truth about why she'd run away. She wasn't looking forward to that day, either, but knowing that Jack felt something for her, even if he wouldn't put a name to it yet, filled her with elation.

They waited through the rest of the storm quietly again, and it went on through the rest of the day and into the night. Katie curled into Jack's body for warmth and eventually they both fell asleep. Both felt content, that night; whatever devastation was being wreaked outside the cave, inside and with each other there was serenity for the moment and that made a very welcome change.

**A/N: I don't think there's much I can really say about this chapter, it's extremely self-explanatory. I just hope it made some people happy, although trust me when I say this story is far from over, as are their troubles!**


	14. The Money Pit

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: The Money Pit**

The storm blew itself out that night but a new one soon whipped itself into a frenzy in the early hours. Katie and Jack managed to return to their room between storms, noting the general devastation that had hit the island as they went. Nobody slept that night given how worried every pirate was for their ship, and so they found themselves again hunched over volumes and pages of books, their eyes itching from tiredness despite their nap. Jack glanced over at Katie, who was sat at the desk, every now and then. None of this should even have been her problem, he thought, but he knew she would never renounce her choice.

"This is doin' me 'ead in." Jack announced. Although it was impossible to tell from the cloudy sky outside, it must've been around daybreak at that point. "This book tells me everything from how to raise a sail to how to breed a kraken but not a dickie bird about binding goddesses!"

"These papers are almost impossible to decipher. Half the pages seem to have had blood spilt on them." Katie responded grimly, showing him the stains. "How much more does the library really have to offer us?"

"Search me. I 'aven't been down there since I was a kid and I don't plan on looking now, either." Katie raised her eyebrows. "It was always dark and murky down there- and Dad was always forcing me to spend me days in there to learn when I 'ad better things to do." It was one of only a few times Jack had even referenced having a childhood, let alone one where Teague was present. Katie watched as a vague smile crossed his face. "S'pose I should be grateful now, eh? Most other boys who grew up 'ere never learnt to read a single letter, an' being able to do that comes in handy."

"I practically had to beg to be taught how to read." Katie said thoughtfully, "And then I was told that I was to keep my ability to myself or I would surely never get married to any self-respecting man." Jack smiled at her, getting up off the bed and crossing to where she was sat.

"You were a rebel right from youth then." She laughed at this as his hand grazed the top of her head on the way to the small cabinet that held his rum. The door opened then and a bleary-eyed Elizabeth walked in.

"Oh good, you're both awake!" She said.

"Lizzie, have you never heard of knocking?" Jack wanted to know. She gave him a dirty look in response, "Well, I'm alone with me wife, you never know what yer gonna walk into." Katie flushed a little at this inference and the love-bite on her neck seemed to throb suddenly. She quickly swept her hair over it to conceal it from Elizabeth's keen eyes.

"At six o'clock in the morning?" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow before cringing: "Actually, don't answer that."

"We were just saying that we haven't found anything amongst these." Katie said, indicating the books as Jack opened his mouth obviously to make another inappropriate comment.

"Well, Barbossa just chose to mention something to me that could be very useful," Elizabeth announced, "That's what I've come to tell you."

"What?" Jack and Katie asked at the same time.

"The minutes of the first meeting that we have are scraps of a bad transcription made from memory by a pirate called Ramsay. The real notes were much more explicit and were taken somewhere else to be kept safe." Elizabeth informed them. Katie's eyes were suddenly wide and alert. Jack was staring at Elizabeth, his rum bottle swinging from his hand.

"Where are they?" He demanded.

"Well," Elizabeth sighed, "Have you heard of The Money Pit?" Katie frowned but Jack's mouth dropped open for a moment.

"Oak Island?"

"The very same. Apparently, Ramsay took the real notes there so that the instructions on how to bind Calypso wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. He was instructed to rewrite the minutes saying what they did but now they did it, which is what we have here." She pointed to the pages referring to the first Brethren Court.

"And why has Barbossa only just decided to tell us this?" Katie wanted to know.

"Because he enjoys making life difficult for other people." Jack responded bitterly, starting to pace.

"How would he even know about it if nobody else did- not even Teague?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Because nobody would've known unless _she_ told them where to find them," Jack said, then added: "Tia Dalma."

"When she brought him back to free her…" Elizabeth realised. Jack nodded. Katie watched as he walked round and round the room, the cogs of his mind almost visibly turning, while Elizabeth by contrast stood stock still, also lost in thought. After a few minutes, Katie spoke up:

"So, when do we set off?" Both of them looked at her as if they'd only just noticed she was there.

"We can't go any time soon, not with this weather." Elizabeth answered, looking towards the window. The wind was rattling against the pane and the sky was still ominously dark. It would be a few weeks, at least, before the weather calmed down enough to even think about sailing. "Jack, can we take the _Pearl_? She's fastest, we'll be able to get there and back with the least trouble."

"Naturally." He grunted. "Katie, it'll probably be best if you stay here for that, you're still weak-"

"Don't even _think _about it." Katie interjected stubbornly- not that Jack had even for a second thought that she'd agree to being left behind. His eyes travelled across her face and he knew that even his cleverest trick wouldn't wash with her. Sighing, he looked back to Elizabeth.

"Well, as you say, we can't leave right now anyway. We'll need the best sailors for the journey if we wanna do it quickly and then reconvene with the other Pirate Lords."

"Quickly would be best." Elizabeth agreed. Although it seemed unlikely anybody else would know about Ramsay's mission, both she and Jack had seen far stranger things happen and more meticulous plans thwarted by enemies. Katie seemed to have an inkling of the same feeling, because she got to her feet.

"Well, if these books are all useless I suppose that means we can get some sleep now." She said, and both Jack and Elizabeth agreed, the latter departing the room. After Jack and Katie got into bed, he turned over on his side to face her.

"I'm still mainly glad I don't 'ave to visit that library."

"But you're showing me around soon!" Katie giggled.

"Oh am I?" He raised an eyebrow and she laughed again at the expression.

"Oh yes. You owe me a tour of this place, Jack." Her eyes sparkled with mirth and he spontaneously leant over to her, kissing her quickly on the lips.

"Goodnight – morning – whatever it is." He said, turning over onto his other side. Still chuckling, Katie closed her eyes and soon fell asleep once more.

After discussing the matter with Teague, it was agreed that only certain pirates should know of the voyage that was planned. Jack and Katie knew, of course, as did Elizabeth and Gibbs. Barbossa declined to accompany them if he wasn't going to have Captain's quarters, which Jack gleefully refused, getting rolled eyes as an answer. The rest of the pirates who'd be joining them would have no idea what they were really planning to do.

Katie finally persuaded Jack to show her the pirates' library around a week following Barbossa's disclosure of information. The room was deep beneath the fortress and just as he had described it- dark and dank, with the same sort of air a haunted building might have. Elizabeth had been basically impervious to it, having been focused on what she was looking for, but Katie admittedly felt a shiver up her spine as she entered the cavernous rooms by the light of the lantern Jack was holding aloft just behind her, which also illuminated her breath which hung in the air before her due to the freezing temperature of the place.

The books were not arranged by shelf but set in rough piles, apparently organised by subject but by no means in an orderly fashion.

"How do you know where anything is?" Katie found herself whispering for some reason.

"Well, the most important stuff is piled at the front and the less important stuff to the back." Jack told her, pointing to a huge stack of books which was also littered with parchment and pages; that pile pertained to every meeting of the Brethren Court and was right beside the entrance. Katie walked further into the room, looking curiously at the titles embossed on dusty volumes. One enormous pile shoved into a corner seemed to be many copies of various works of Shakespeare, though Katie could sense the room stretched even further back out of her sight. Once again she had an eerie, pricking feeling as if some creature was running down her spine, and she span around suddenly to find herself nose to nose with Jack.

"Told ya this place'd give you the collywobbles." He murmured, grinning.

"It _is_ a little scary." She admitted, her heart racing as he loomed over her. He reached up slowly with his free hand and brushed her hair out of the way to place his fingers where he had bitten her before. The mark was gone now but it almost felt as if it was throbbing again when he touched her there. In return, she tentatively reached up and trailed her hand from his throat down to his abdomen, which jumped at the contact.

"Yer not makin' it easy for me to wait for my dessert, are you?" He asked her in a very low voice. She merely peered up at him with a coy, knowing look in her eye that could drive a man insane. "You used to be a bundle of nerves if we were alone together an' now yer seducing me. You're coming along nicely, love."

"I'm not doing anything to seduce you." Katie pointed out.

"Ye don't have to." They were now so close that their noses were touching, and both were fighting the urge not to close the distance. Both of them were breathing very fast and shallow. "Not here," Jack said after a long pause, "It wouldn't be very romantic."

"I suppose last time was?" She recalled the bruising pressure of his furious lips on hers the last time they had kissed. The tension between them was palpable though and she supposed nothing good could come of it. And so she stepped back.

"Let's go." She announced, leading the way past him and out of the library again. She did not see Jack's arm shake as he held the lantern.

Several weeks later the worst of storm season blew over their heads and _The Black_ _Pearl_ was ready to deport. Katie stood at the bow, looking out at the sea as it unfolded before them as the ship began to make way. She had missed the sea and now that she was recovered from the stabbing she was excited to be able to do something proactive again. Jack was up at the helm, though his eyes flickered towards her every few minutes, almost as if he couldn't help himself. He had tried again to make her stay behind, knowing that although she was no longer in constant pain she was weak and hadn't been quite well since the attack. Katie wouldn't have it though, and honestly he couldn't imagine having her around even for what should be a short time.

Gibbs approached his Captain, the same thoughts in his mind. Katie was thinner than the last time they'd sailed. "The cold ain't gonna do 'er any good, Jack."

"What can I do?" Jack growled.

"Yer her husband, ye could've made 'er stay behind!" Gibbs argued.

"Well, that's not how our marriage works, mate. I can't command 'er, God knows I try."

"Even if she doesn't catch 'er death, Angelica will be snappin' at 'er ankles the first opportunity!" Gibbs pointed out. They had all agreed, behind Katie's back, that it was not safe to assume that Angelica would be satisfied with simply wounding Katie.

"I know." Jack said monotonously.

"An' she can't use a sword, as skilled as she might be with a pistol-"

"I KNOW!" Jack yelled, and Gibbs abruptly stopped talking.

"Sorry, Captain." He apologised quietly after a moment, as several curious crew members turned back to their tasks, having looked around for the source of the yelling. "So, The Money Pit."

"It's been used to stash all sorts of dangerous treasure for years and is virtually unexplored by civilians thus far. Nobody ever quite knew 'ow the pit came to be, an' few willingly explore it these days. Teague's been there once but 'e never found anythin' you'd wanna take with ye- the pit periodically floods an' excavation is near impossible." Jack recited all he had heard about The Money Pit. "Oak Island, where the pit is located, is off the coast of Nova Scotia."

"So we're headin' into cold." Gibbs summarised.

"'Fraid so." Jack answered. Gibbs grimaced, being the sort of sailor who preferred sticking to warmer waters, before heading to attend to some task. Elizabeth, meanwhile, was once again poring over Ramsay's transcription of the first Brethren Court alongside a chart to Oak Island and a map of the island itself. The Pit was in the south-eastern corner of the island.

Katie entered the cabin, where Elizabeth was working, a few minutes later. She could feel Jack and Gibbs' eyes boring into her and was not in the mood to try to persuade Jack yet again that her being here was a good idea.

"Do you suppose we'll be long at sea?" Katie inquired. As much as she was frustrated at being treated like a child, she was concerned for own health to some degree. She didn't have to dismiss those concerns in front of Elizabeth, however, because she would still have been on this voyage in Katie's position, too.

"If we don't have to make any stops we shouldn't be too long." Elizabeth answered, looking up at her friend. "We have to get some way out to sea to avoid the New World, though." Katie nodded; the British Navy would not be a welcome sight. She sat down and slipped her hand inside her right boot, drawing out the sharp silver dagger she'd been stabbed with. The light bounced off the blade sharply, causing both women to blink. "Are you hoping to use it on her?" Elizabeth asked quietly. Katie met her eyes.

"It would draw a neat circle, wouldn't it?"

"You are very like Jack, you know. He carried around his single shot so that he could use it on Barbossa for almost ten years." Katie had heard the story of Isla de Muerta.

"I would not exact revenge on her, except that what she is angry about has nothing to do with me." Katie sighed.

"I can't imagine what it would be like to be with a man who had another woman like that in his past- I mean to say," Elizabeth added hastily, "A woman just as passionate as you are when it comes to him." Katie thought back to the evening she had met Jack, remembering leaning against the crates, out of sight, tending to his bleeding leg and how he had tried to stop her from using her expensive lace. She had merely seen an escape route that day, not the man she would fall in love with.

"I definitely didn't see any of this coming." Katie agreed, afraid to say more in case she accidentally gave away the truth of her and Jack's relationship.

"My life changed forever the day I met Jack, too. He has a funny way of doing that." Elizabeth said, and Katie laughed. Jack was certainly one of life's catalysts.

"What I can't imagine," Katie said, "Is being in your situation: away from the man you love so much." She saw Elizabeth's cheerful expression waver and placed her hand delicately over hers. "Sorry." She added, but Elizabeth shook her head.

"I don't know," She replied slowly, "But I like to think that even the greatest loves are torn apart in some way or another- at least I can guarantee that something will bring us back together, even if that is only once every decade."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading if you've made it this far! And thanks to everyone who has reviewed too!**

** It's probably quite important that I mention here that Oak Island and the so-called Money Pit are a real place, and they are indeed off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. It's a very mysterious place where originally a young man in 1795 reported seeing treasure at the bottom of the pit. Over the years there have been many excavations and some fatalities, but none has ever concluded properly whether there really is treasure. It's one of the unsolved mysteries of the world! But, while this is the true story, this fic is set a few years before that first rumour of treasure began, so I decided to take liberty with history and make it a piratey place. I believe I read somewhere it is rumoured that real-life Blackbeard visited, but who knows?**

** Anyway, if I am historically inaccurate in terms of the occupation of the island or of Nova Scotia at that time, I'm sorry. I'm actually British and don't know a whole lot about Canadian history, sadly. I just hope you can still enjoy it at face value here and don't take it to heart! I'll shut up with this long author's note now! Oh, and don't forget to review!**


	15. Crossing Lines

**WARNING: Scenes of a sexual nature. It's not mega graphic, it's not smutty, but it's there. If you aren't comfortable with this, don't read it! **

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Crossing Lines**

The section of the Atlantic Ocean that Jack found himself staring out at was ghostly and quiet. It was the middle of the night and, though he usually had someone else take the helm for the night, he had relieved Cotton (a welcome return to his crew, if only temporarily) as he was unable to sleep anyway. A lot of things were running through his head, flashes of people and places: Tia Dalma, Oak Island, Will Turner, Katie, Bootstrap, Gibbs, Elizabeth, Davy Jones, Shipwreck Island, his father, his mother, Tortuga, Angelica…

Each one, as they passed him by, he gave a name to the feeling he had towards them: nervous, curious, annoyed, adoration, respect, friendship, admiration, unsettled, tired, sad, longing, regret, fear… _fear?_

Jack took a long drink from his faithful bottle of rum- he wasn't _afraid _of Angelica. At least, he was not afraid of what she might think she could do to him. He was afraid of what she might do to Katie, if she got the chance. Pretending to be married to her had seemed like the best way to counter Angelica's passions, a warning to her that he was unavailable for her to manipulate as she had done so many times before. He hadn't known, then, that by taking one weapon from her he was handing her another. Of course, now it was too late; they couldn't go back on the lie when so many people believed it. _Friends_ believed it. Nobody who knew the truth was going to tell her- the one person who had was now dead. He felt himself swell a little with pride whenever he thought about Katie shooting Moss. But then he remembered seeing her laid out on the table, blood everywhere, weak and broken… if he hadn't been sure before, he'd known then that Katie had surpassed friendship for him. The thought of losing her had been unbearably painful. She had only been in his life for so short a time; it was far too early for her to depart.

He only wished he had not spent their initial days together with his mind on Angelica, the woman whom, yes, he had loved, had once told he would always love… but he didn't anymore. They always said there was a fine line between love and hate, and Angelica had crossed that line.

The night passed slowly, but finally the sun rose and with it, the crew. Jack handed the helm off to Gibbs and went into his cabin. Katie stirred sleepily as he entered.

"Jack?" She asked, her voice slightly hoarse, "You were gone…"

"Couldn't sleep, love." He said, climbing into bed beside her. Katie sat up and shook her hair out of her face.

"I'd better go and start the food."

"No, stay here," He said, his hand on the small of her back, "They're big boys, they can get food fer themselves at least today."

"I can't stay in here all day." Katie responded, though she lay back down beside him.

"Why not, love?" Jack grinned. "It's captain's orders." She giggled at this and turned her head to look at him. Although he was clearly tired, he seemed cheerful and more relaxed than she'd seen him in a while. Perhaps the few days of sailing behind them had cleared his mind of the vexations Shipwreck Cove gave him.

"So, what's gotten you in such good spirits?" Katie teased.

"I realised somethin' very important and interesting during this past night." He replied.

"Oh, really? What's that?"

"That I've been wasting all me time with you lately havin' pleasant conversation an' reading boring books about dead people when I could've been doing this." And without warning, he pounced.

Katie had definitely not been expecting this turn of events. Jack may have said in the cave that the day he loved her might be coming; he hadn't even kissed her in the library and their latest days at sea had been nothing out of the ordinary. But now he was kissing her like he had never kissed her before: passionately, hungrily, desperately, lovingly. His mind was full of her. His hands were everywhere on her body, his lips at her neck and along her collarbone, evoking gasps. He yanked her shirt open without any notion of politeness, the buttons flying everywhere. Katie's world had become dark and all about feeling. No shyness hindered her as she clawed his back before he removed his own shirt. Her eyes vaguely registered the tattoos, the bullet wound scars on his chest, before she went blind again. He moved his thumb in circles along the indents of her pelvis, before hooking his fingers onto her breeches and dispensing with them, too.

Now he paused tantalisingly, looking down into her eyes.

"I thought… you wanted… to know the full story?" She asked breathily.

"I do, and I'll have it." Jack replied.

"When?"

"After." They stared each other down for another moment. Her pupils were dilated hugely, her chest rising and falling, and she was curling her legs around his hips without even noticing. Jack smirked a little at this; "Unless you want me to stop?" She laughed slightly and shook her head. "When you're ready to tell me, I'll have it." Katie's gaze flickered and changed, and Jack realised that she was looking at him with honest love as bare as her body. He had thought 'all of her' meant her past, too, but it was almost enough to have all of her _now_.

He kissed her again and her hand cupped his face for a moment before falling away weakly as he left a trail of kisses down her body, her chest, her ribs, her hips, her inner thighs… Katie was unable to stop the moan that escaped her, but was glad it didn't seem to put him off. Eventually her body seemed to explode beyond her control, she was writhing against the sheets, calling his name shamelessly. Jack returned to kiss her lips, muffling her sounds, until her climax subsided. When she was aware again of what was happening, she found that he had removed his own breeches.

She had never seen male genitals before, knew vaguely what intercourse meant, but sex had always been a subject considered embarrassing and awkward for young ladies to even think about, let alone discuss in depth, and her friends at home who were married had been giggly and uncomfortable whenever it arose. But Katie was not married, not really, and the horror stories she had heard of it being boring for a woman did not tally with what Jack had made her feel. Her hand reached out and touched him, wrapped around him. His eyes closed and he breathed out through his mouth. She did not know what she was doing, but she moved her hand and he groaned before lowering himself back over her, positioning himself at her entrance.

One last look in the eyes, one question in his that was answered in hers, and Katie was no longer ingénue.

Jack felt the pleasure he had missed for a long time now, the feeling of really being _with_ a woman. But more than that, he felt happiness as he looked down at Katie, his precious Katie. She bit her lip at first, stifling the pain, but he waited. They found a rhythm; they danced the most beautiful dance of all. And a while later, both were lying side by side, breathing heavily, their hands entwined.

The silence that settled between them was peaceful and contented. The ship rocked benignly on the sea beneath them, and Katie felt the smile on her face.

"God, I think I love you, Katie O'Connor." Jack's voice was rough. Katie's smile widened even more. If she could choose a moment to spend eternity in, it might be this. She rolled over to rest her head on his chest and his arm wrapped around her.

"You _think_?"

"Maybe more than think." Jack smiled.

"Maybe?"

"Mm, I might need to try that one more time just to be sure." His calloused hands moved up her bare arms, making her shiver. "Whatchoo think?" Before Katie could make any kind of response to this however, a loud boom tore through their bubble of happiness, making Katie jump and Jack curse: "Bugger! Typical!" He leapt up and pulled on his breeches as fast as he could, followed by his shirt. Katie seized a dress of hers from the clothes chest, as her shirt was ruined, though she was a little too raw from what had transpired to hurry.

"I've got this, love!" Jack called as he raced out the room as only Jack could; his pistol waving in one hand and his sword in the other. When he arrived out on deck, his shirt only half buttoned up, it was to find that they were in the midst of battering a defenceless merchant vessel within an inch of its life. The men on board were dropping like flies as _The Black Pearl_ peppered the other ship with cannon fire; that was what was going on, though it took Jack's mind a full minute to realise that they weren't actually under attack.

"Mister Gibbs!" He barked, "I don't remember issuing the order to sink that vessel!"

"Well, ye were asleep, Captain! An' it's been a while since we done some good, honest pillaging!" Gibbs added, looking quite exhilarated. Katie emerged from the cabin behind them too, eyes wide.

"What's going on?" She blurted, her red hair wild.

"Ah, or were ye sleepin'?" Gibbs laughed, causing her to blush. It was not the first time people had made this insinuation but it was, of course, the first time it had actually been true. Jack had to fight the urge to wrap his arms around her. The merchant vessel was already sinking, nobody left aboard. The crew were swinging across to it to salvage what they could before she went down completely. "Sorry if we gave ye a shock." Gibbs added to the pair, now that it was quieter.

"It was quite loud and sudden enough to wake the dead!" Katie said faintly, and both Gibbs and Jack laughed, the latter having recovered from his own surprise now.

"Well, perhaps Jack needed the wake-up call." Elizabeth suggested, having come towards them.

"I'll have you know I was up all night at the helm." Jack informed her tartly.

"Yes, but that could just as easily have been the navy." She told him reasonably. Jack shrugged, looking back at Katie. He was regretting leaving their bed more than ever. In answer, she stretched widely and turned back to the cabin, almost daring him to follow her with a slight glance back at him over her shoulder. Jack watched her go, feeling as if he was seeing her for the first time. Elizabeth noticed the dumbstruck look on his face and laughed.

"I thought you might be nearing the end of the honeymoon period, but apparently not." She said.

"Every day with her is the start of a new honeymoon period." And he followed Katie back into the cabin without another word or glance. Gibbs and Elizabeth watched him go amusedly.

"Those two are like teenagers." Gibbs chuckled, "Reminds me of you an' Will, back in the day."

"I'd love to be able to spend all my days with Will like that." Elizabeth said wistfully.

"Aye." Gibbs nodded thoughtfully.

"How long until we reach Oak Island?" Elizabeth was back to business almost immediately, never being one to allow herself to dwell on her own unique relationship with her husband.

"If the weather be fair an' luck be our ally, I'd say but a week."

"Then I suggest we get this treasure hauled aboard without delay."

Gibbs' timing was correct and it was around a week later that amongst the ice and bleak cold of the north Atlantic, Oak Island loomed out. They approached out of sight of the mainland, but every crew member was shuddering with cold and desperate to get onto land, where they might find warmth. It was a miserable situation for them all, except for Jack and Katie. Their newfound happiness was impossible to puncture. Yet, when finally they let down the anchor on a day so bright that it might blind you, though it was no less cold, Jack turned to Katie on the deck:

"I don't think you should come to the pit, love."

"We've been through this," Katie said firmly, "I'm not staying behind just because of what chivalry dictates, or-"

"Katie, yer not well." He'd had ample time in the past week to get a closer look at her than she'd given him a chance to before, and he had noticed several things she would try to hide from him before; she was tired a lot, and she had a way of sitting down suddenly as if the world had taken her feet out from under her. Things between them had changed so completely in the physical sense, but she should know better than to try and fool him emotionally. They almost always knew what the other was thinking about, that was the way it'd always been. Jack knew Katie was aware that she had not regained all her strength and was trying to cover it on purpose. Of course, it didn't help that the temperatures were icier every day. Jack fixed her with such a stern look that at last she relented, knowing that he would lock her in the cabin if he had to.

"Don't be gone long." Katie pouted, crossing her arms. She had been hoping to see the fabled Money Pit herself.

"I won't." He leant down to kiss her on the cheek before leaving the ship with the rest of the crew. Katie sighed, watching as they disappeared into the snow-capped trees on the island. She began to make her way up the quarterdeck steps when she paused. Jack had left her only moments before, she had seen everyone leave, and yet she had the strange feeling somebody was watching her. Glancing around, Katie found nobody there. Deciding this was simple paranoia, she went into the cabin and closed the door, not wanting to remain in the cold. After a moment's hesitation, she barred the door too, just in case. If there was one thing she had learned, it was that you could never be too careful.

**A/N: I'd just like to say, I am kind of sorry about the sex scene. I decided it just had to happen this way, suddenly, all at once, because this is after all Jack Sparrow. But I am not overly found of the way I wrote it. This is because it's hard to walk the line between totally cringe-worthy and cheesy and smutty and mega graphic. I'm sorry if it was disappointing to anybody! But, yes, it has happened. Don't think their problems are over though, because we're only about halfway into the story! Jack still doesn't know the truth about Katie's past, and they still need to bind Calypso! So, please tell me what you think! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, too!**


	16. Forty Feet Below

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Forty Feet Below**

The trek across South Shore Cove, where they'd landed, and then a stretch of the island was slightly treacherous given the snow which slid under their feet with every step, but finally they reached the south-eastern corner of Oak Island where, according to the map Elizabeth was clutching, the Money Pit lay. Jack had been expecting something rather more impressive than what he was seeing; on the surface it looked rather like a small sinkhole, half covered in snowy plant-life. They stopped some feet away from it, looking at it with mixed feelings. Jack glanced at Elizabeth, trying not to appear uncertain.

"This is it, then?" He asked. She silently handed him the map. Indeed, it indicated that they were standing right before the Money Pit. "Right. Well. In we go then." He wasn't in the least bit enthused by this prospect. His mind strayed back to Katie; she'd probably volunteer to go first if she was here because she liked to get things done. Jack and Elizabeth made a couple of reluctant steps towards the pit, but looking round, Jack saw that not a single member of the crew had moved even an inch, including Gibbs. The latter spoke up:

"It looks like it might collapse."

"Nonsense!" Jack said loudly, though he didn't believe it himself.

"We'll have to crawl to get in." Marty, another return to Jack's crew, pointed out.

"An' we don' know 'ow far down it goes." Another crew member said.

"Dead men tell no tales!" Cotton's parrot squawked forebodingly. The crew glanced around at each other fearfully. Jack looked round at Elizabeth; she rolled her eyes.

"I suppose we'll 'ave to do all the work, as usual." Jack said, exasperated. Elizabeth went first, crawling through the tiny gap in the top of the land, the snowy ground soaking her as she went. She had to lower herself entirely to the ground and shimmy her way through the gap. Jack watched ahead of himself as her feet disappeared, then edged towards the gap himself. He didn't realise he was holding his breath until he heard Elizabeth's voice, some way below ground level. "There are steps!" Jack followed her a little less hesitantly then, and found that there were indeed logs inserted every few feet within the rock. It was dark and almost impossible to see anything, though what little light there was seemed to come from the walls of the pit itself and not from the tiny opening above. Jack and Elizabeth climbed silently down for what felt like an eternity. Down, down, further down, and Jack was about to ask just _how_ deep this thing might be when his next step had him hit something like the ground. The strange glow from the walls was brighter down here, and Jack could make out Elizabeth's face.

"Where now?" He noticed they were ankle-deep in water.

"There's only one way." Elizabeth pointed to a narrow cave way that had clearly been eroded into existence by water, given the strange markings on the walls that told of something of a current pushing against it time and again. Jack remembered the stories of how often this place supposedly flooded and decided haste was their friend now. He began to lead the way, but then hesitated and drew his sword. He heard a whisper of metal as Elizabeth copied him. They edged through the tunnel, having to turn sideways to fit through parts of it. Again, it seemed to go on forever though as soon as either of them began to think of time passing, it opened up.

Jack knew immediately they had found the place they were looking for. This was the _real _Money Pit. The mysterious light was at its maximum here; though looking up the sky was almost visible hundreds of feet above them. The sky appeared sunny, though in reality it was grey. And before them was treasure. Chests, coins, trinkets of every kind, filled the pit from edge to edge.

"Captain Kidd was said to have first come upon this place." Elizabeth mentioned, "I remember reading of it in the books about pirates I used to read." The very books she had read stories of Jack, though those stories were equally negligible as the one she was speaking of now.

"Captain Kidd weren't a pirate. He was a privateer who weren't of no use by the government when they thought he'd name names of real pirates. They hanged him for bein' politically useless, not because 'e was a pirate." Jack murmured in answer. It had always been common knowledge to him, having being raised by pirates, that Captain Kidd had never been a pirate. "An' he never came here, either."

"There were skirmishes and acts of piracy to his name." Elizabeth insisted.

"More likely their verdict 'ad been reached before 'e was given trial. He was just one of the first of many that the government made it impossible for him to be anythin' other than pirates, at least in their eyes." The brand on his arm seemed to throb as he said it. He had escaped the gallows, for sure, but not the conviction. Elizabeth was no stranger to this either, because her old life had been taken from her on these same grounds. She checked the ripped out page from a particular book that she had brought with her. It had a picture of a stone on it where something was written. Jack peered over her shoulder at this. "_Forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried_." He read aloud.

"It was to keep unsuspecting explorers looking for something they'd never find." Elizabeth told him.

"Aye. An' to make sure the right hands found how to bind Calypso for the right reasons." They looked at each other uneasily, because this was the sticky part: were they binding Calypso for the right reasons? A sea goddess who wished to free did not want binding at all, for any reason. Elizabeth considered this closely, turning back to face Jack.

"I'll have to be the one to take them. I'm not doing this for personal gain." Jack thought this reasoning to be quite logical and probably correct. After all, he was planning to bind Calypso to save his own life.

"You know where exactly in here they are?" Jack checked, and Elizabeth nodded.

"I've been working out the clues as we sailed here, they'll be-" _Clunk. _Elizabeth's eyes rolled and she fell to the ground, unconscious. Jack's eyes watched her fall before bouncing back up to look at the source of her fainting, and the noise that had preceded it. And right before him, twirling the pistol she had used to club Elizabeth with in her hand, was Angelica.

It felt as if all the wind had been knocked out of him.

"I wondered how long it would take you to get here, Jack." Jack's eyes quickly took her appearance in. She looked almost exactly as she had when he had left her on that island, her olive skin smooth, her dark eyes shining, her sarcastic smile. While she twirled the gun in one hand, he noticed she was playing with a sheath of papers tucked into the pocket of her coat with the other. So, she had the original Brethren Court notes already. Of course.

"I hope yer not planning to shoot me." Jack croaked. He felt like vomiting at the sight of her, the woman who had broken his heart twice now. He was revolted. He wanted to hurt her, hurt her more than she had ever hurt in her life. But he couldn't move, he was rooted to the spot, he could only stare hatefully.

"It's a shame to see you looking at me like that, Jack. Your eyes once devoured me." He remembered that time, and he remembered how the mere cadence of her voice used to stir him delightfully. But now, clear in his mind, he once again saw Katie's weak, bleeding body on the table on Shipwreck Island.

"If ye do plan to shoot me, I advise ye do it now. Elizabeth here has bested you before." Angelica glanced down at Elizabeth's still form momentarily.

"My father told me of Oak Island. He came here, and some of this treasure was his. So, mine now."

"I. Don't. Care." Jack growled through gritted teeth.

"So Jack, you are married now," Angelica said, again ignoring him. "I had the pleasure of meeting your wife."

"Give me the papers." He thought about raising the sword he was still holding but then he knew it was pointless threatening someone who could not die.

"It was a shame that Moss died, he was useful."

"Give me the papers!" He said again, louder this time. In his periphery he could see Elizabeth opening her eyes, but he was not about to give her away to Angelica.

"But that would make it easier for you to stand in my way, Jack." Jack thought he heard a noise but didn't dare look around. Elizabeth had crawled slowly out of Angelica's sight, unnoticed, and was moving behind her as silently as a cat. "How long do you plan to play with that woman before you leave her as you always leave every woman who is foolish enough to love you?" As Angelica's hand left her pocket to move a strand of hair out of her eyes, Elizabeth's own quick hand darted around and nimbly lifted the papers from Angelica's pocket. Jack did his best not to show on his face what he had observed and Angelica had missed.

"Angelica, I don't want to hurt you," He told her threateningly, as Elizabeth raised her own pistol behind the Spanish woman.

"Ah but you cannot hurt me anymore, Jack! Only_ I_ can hurt _you_! You will face the wrath of Calypso whatever you do and it will be by my hand!" _Thwack. _Elizabeth clubbed Angelica even harder with the pistol than she'd received shortly before. Angelica dropped to the ground, unconscious, but she wouldn't be for long.

"Let's go!" She said, grabbing Jack's wrist and yanking him away, pulling him along the tunnel and towards the logs they had climbed down. As they began to ascend once more, a great, threatening rumble sounded from behind them. Jack glanced back in time to see a fast rush of water pouring into the section of the pit they were in. Both he and Elizabeth began to climb faster and more frantically, trying to beat the speed of the rapidly rising water. It was lapping at Jack's ankles when he finally pulled himself up and out of the tiny gap and back into daylight above ground.

He rolled out of the way of the sopping water bound to burst free and overflow onto the snowy ground, but when he looked back there was nothing. Elizabeth looked equally confused and afraid by that water and the way it had disappeared. Had it really flooded, or had it been merely an illusion? Either way, Angelica was still down there.

"Back to the _Pearl_! Quick! Anyone who falls behind is left behind!" Jack barked, and the crew responded to the panic in his voice by sprinting all-out to the ship. "Haul anchor! Make way! I need wind in these sails!" The crew scurried about the deck, numb, cold fingers coaxing the sails to full stretch. Soon, Oak Island was melting out of sight behind them as the sun set. Jack stood at the wheel, jaw locked, silent, for the rest of the evening and refused to be relieved. As crew members took to their hammocks, Jack heard the cabin door open. He knew Katie was standing behind him.

"She was there, wasn't she?" She said quietly. He tried to ignore his relief at hearing her speak- he was glad, more than ever, that he had made her stay behind. He could only nod though, eyes fixed straight ahead. Katie looked at his tense shoulders and back for a moment before approaching him. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, resting her face in the cleft between his shoulder blades. She had been in bed the whole time and so carried warmth with her, which felt amazing to a cold captain. He relaxed a little into her embrace, reached around guided her before him instead so that her back was against the wheel, which he still held firmly. Her bright green eyes were wide and moved across his face before she reached up a little tentatively to wrap her arms around his neck and press her lips to his. Again, hers were warm and his were cold and both moved closer together at the contrast. When they broke apart she didn't remove her arms from around him, and he had never moved his from the wheel.

"These waters are full of icebergs." He told her in a very soft voice.

"You need to rest." She let go of him and turned to face front, her hands gripping the wheel too. Jack let go but was impressed to see her holding it steady.

"Thanks for listening to me, love." He told her.

"Don't get used to it." She replied. Both smirked, though neither could see the others expression as Jack took her advice and went to get some well-earned sleep.

The voyage back was going to be tough as they were now quite low on supplies and had nowhere along the way where it'd be worth risking a stop to restock. As food was rationed and rum running low, many crew members grew irritable, which was predictable. Only the four who knew what their journey had been for were even slightly cheerful. Jack and Elizabeth were both still privately shaken up by the incident in the Money Pit, though they didn't bring it up or tell the other two. They just mentioned the confrontation with Angelica, at which Gibbs gave the nervous command to coax more speed from the _Pearl_.

"Calypso ain't goin' anywhere, mate." Jack muttered, when Gibbs came hurrying back into the Captain's quarters, where they were sat around the table.

"Have you had a good look at those minutes?" Katie asked Elizabeth.

"I've glanced over them but I think we'll need more expert knowledge to understand some of what it implies."

"Aye, Barbossa and Teague, those are who ye need for this sorta thing." Gibbs said thoughtfully.

"Barbossa wasn't exactly eager to help us before we left." Jack pointed out with distaste. There were many things Barbossa had done which he found hard to forgive.

"He told us eventually, and that's what matters." Katie said soothingly. He looked at her, marvelling at her ability to put faith into people that didn't deserve it. First himself and now Barbossa.

"All we can do for now is try to ensure we survive the journey back." Elizabeth stated resolutely, getting to her feet. "And any merchant ships that come into our path, we defeat them quickly and soundly as we did last time. We need water, at least." She exited the room, and Gibbs soon followed. Jack hadn't looked away from Katie since she'd last spoken.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing." Jack looked away, fiddling instead with a loose thread in the sleeve of his coat.

"Teague was telling me that when he visited Oak Island one thing they did find was a sort of cave leading from the other side of the island into the pit. When they went back the next day to follow it once more the cave had disappeared." Katie informed him. The story had fascinated her when the old pirate had told her it, but weirdly she saw Jack shiver at its telling.

"I've had enough of that supernatural malarkey for a lifetime. For two lifetimes, in fact, considering this is technically my second." Jack announced. His mind was full of that water rising and then disappearing.

"How did she know where we were heading?" Katie questioned.

"I don't know." He mumbled, then: "I hate her."

"No you don't." _You can't hurt me anymore._

"I do," He promised her, "If I could kill her, I would." Katie surveyed his expression, but it was unreadable. Blank.

"Jack, if there was a way to do it, it'd be my job. Not yours." And then Katie, too, swept from the room.

**A/N: Thank you for reading! I'd just like to reiterate that while Oak Island and the so-called Money Pit are real places, this is a fictionalised version of what it might look like. However, the quote 'forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried' is a real quotation engraved into a stone supposedly found at the site. Please don't hesitate to drop me a review, I've had some lovely ones lately but remember any feedback is welcome!**


	17. Feronia

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Feronia**

Katie was happy to be back at Shipwreck Cove. As much as she missed the sea when she was away from it for too long these days, the situation over the past few days of the voyage had become nearly unbearable; with no water and very little rum, crew members had been fighting like cat and dog and there had been several small injuries suffered in fights that had broken out. Jack had been at the end of his tether with everybody as a result and his mood hadn't been the best anyway since the day on land at Oak Island. She wished he had never had to see Angelica- it pained him, not to mention a part of her was still terrified that he would go back to the Spanish woman if he had the chance.

Jack was also uncharacteristically relieved to be putting into port. His dreams had been decidedly disturbing since seeing Angelica and being chased by vanishing water, and more than that he was worried about Katie. The poor nourishment and hydration of the past few days could not have done her any good, and indeed she had developed a nasty-sounding cough. She insisted she was fine but he only hoped it was nothing serious.

Teague seemed to share his thinking as soon as he heard that cough. Over Katie's head, his eyes met Jack's and before Katie knew what was happening she was being forced into bed by father and son with a hot toddy.

"It's just a cough!" She insisted, nullifying her point slightly by succumbing to a fit of said cough. "It'll pass in a few days! It's just the cold air!"

"An' it'll pass quicker if you're in bed warm and rested." Teague told her sternly.

"But I'm so sick of being stuck in bed all the time! I want to help with the notes from the Brethren Court!"

"A lot of help you'll be if yer-" Jack retorted angrily, but Teague stopped him:

"Jackie." Jack closed his mouth, looking down into Katie's emerald eyes.

"-If yer ill." He finished lamely, though she could tell that was not what he had meant to say.

"Now drink that and don't strain yerself." Teague commanded her. Katie looked as if she'd like to argue but then thought better of it. Her eyes flickered back to Jack's before she nodded. The two men left the room and were several floors lower down into the fortress before Teague decided to speak. "You've finally realised, haven't you?"

"Realised what? I haven't realised a thing!" Jack answered quickly, never liking his father to be right about anything. Teague knew this and merely shook his head.

"Don't mess this up, boy. She's like the daughter I never had."

"_I'm _yer actual son!" Jack reminded his father, not for the first time in his life. They stopped and faced each other. Teague raised one old, strong hand and gripped Jack's shoulder with it.

"Aye, that ye are. But she's the daughter I_ don't_ have, right?"

"Right." Jack agreed, not fully understanding what Teague meant, though that was nothing unusual.

"Well, let's go an' find Elizabeth an' take a look at those minutes. Think it might be a bit of a job."

Shipwreck Cove once again became a place full of pirates trying to decipher ancient myths and legends. Davy Jones had tricked Calypso into coming on land in her human form, and the nine Pirate Lords had bound her. That was the part of the story everyone knew, but the magic it involved was an unknown quantity. The minutes that Ramsay had hidden noted _'a blooming love the value of more souls than Jones can ferrey',_ _'a stagnante hearte as unmovable as lande'_ and _'nyne pieces of eight to holde the goddess' spirit within'. _It also listed a ritual. They had known all along they would need Will Turner and nine pieces of eight, but where could they find a stagnant, unmoveable heart or a love more valuable than the souls Will ferried to the other side?

"A blooming love must be a new love. One that is forming now." Elizabeth said, frowning. "Which discounts myself and Will, and Katie and Jack." Jack had moved uncomfortably in his seat when she said this. Teague had fixed him with a piercing look, though neither of them said anything. Jack had noted that since they'd arrived back at Shipwreck Cove his father had been keeping an even closer eye on him than he had when Jack had been a delinquent teenager fond of running away.

"We all have stagnant hearts here, how do ye find the most stagnant?" Gibbs questioned. "We're pirates!"

As everyone else discussed these things at length, Katie was holed up in her and Jack's room trying desperately to get better. The cough was not as aggressive after a week or so but Jack was not happy to have her up and about.

"I wasn't supposed to strain myself," Katie gasped through the darkness one night. Jack's hands were everywhere they ought not to be, as they were whenever he had a chance to put them there. Katie had long since stopped feeling shy or guilty. "Remember?"

"Well, I'll do all the work, love." Jack growled, dragging his nails down her back.

"I don't know…" She teased, rolling so that she was on top of him. He enjoyed this new, more assertive side of Katie in the bedroom department. Her straightforwardness in the day to day was starting to come through in the most rewarding way possible for him and he could find no reason to complain. It was long after their pleasure had subsided and both were almost asleep when Katie brought up the question that'd been bothering her since they'd gotten back:

"Jack," She whispered through the darkness.

"What?"

"Are you ever going to tell me why you panicked so when I got this stupid cough?" There was a pause before he answered.

"Are _you_ ever gonna tell _me_ why you were panicking so the night I met you and then left stupid London?" It was a brave stab at his usual cockiness, but she heard an edge to his voice. Katie sighed. She had promised him, but it never felt like the right time…

"I'll tell you." She replied stiltedly.

"An' when you do, maybe I'll answer your question." There was another long silence. It was so long that Katie thought Jack had probably fallen asleep. Nonetheless, she whispered again through the darkness:

"I'm sorry, Jack." Miraculously, he reached out across the bed to her and pulled her to him, her heads resting on his chest, his arms holding her securely. He breathed in the smell of her hair.

"I tried to be stubborn and insist you tell me before you were ready an' I lost that battle, love. Don't apologise for me bein' a sore loser." Katie smiled to herself, her fingers reaching down and lightly tracing the scar the bullet had left on his thigh. In response he felt his blood supply heading south and, tired as he had been a minute before, he began again the exploration of her body.

Between planning the binding of Calypso, including the unravelling of the clues and passages given in the minutes of the first Brethren Court and the usual debauchery that came from the pirate lifestyle, Katie found herself alone quite a lot. Jack didn't often let her out of his sight, and she still didn't understand why he was so concerned over a mere cough. His general behaviour was a little strange- stranger than usual, that is- and in turn Katie became concerned for him. His sleep was often disturbed and he was quiet during the day. She was curious what Angelica had said to him, and even more curious about what had gone on in the Money Pit. Even Elizabeth seemed a little shaken whenever anybody asked, and Katie knew from this that there was something they weren't telling people, but he evaded the subject whenever she brought it up, the same way he was also evading the subject of why she had to be bed bound for a common affliction.

This affliction was getting better already, and the cabin fever began to drive Katie insane. One evening, while Jack was out drinking, Katie finally had enough. She'd been shut up for a week now, ever since they'd gotten back, and the cough was barely a rattle in her chest. She needed fresh air. Wrapping herself up in her coat, she broke her promise to Jack to stay put by creeping out of her room, through the fortress, and outside.

The air still had a little of a chill in it, but all the storm had gone out of it, leaving it feeling crisp and refreshing on her face. Katie walked towards the docks, though she stopped before where most of the ships were moored, and gazed out onto the shady horizon. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky and she could make out every star. A smile crossed her face; the way their silver glimmer illuminated the various shipwrecks that gave the island a name had a sort of dark glamour to it. It reminded her immediately of Jack, whose allure lie in much the same realm.

She stood there for quite a long time and zoned out for a while, thinking about everything, how far she had come, when an enormous ship rose directly out of the water before her. Her heart pounded pugnaciously in her chest as she took in its stark appearance, before she recognised it as _The Flying Dutchman. _It did not come any closer to the island, but she could see Will at the hull and she raised her hand to wave at him cheerfully. He lowered the telescope he was peering through to wave back and Katie smiled to herself, turning to go back into the fortress and find Elizabeth: she would be overjoyed that Will was so close.

When she entered the fortress however, it was to find utter chaos. A lot of drunken pirates were staggering around in search of something. Most of them looked confused, some annoyed, some had given up and had returned to drinking rum.

Making her way through the place, watching the men running around like chickens with their heads cut off, nobody stopped her and though she stopped by Elizabeth's room she found it empty. Shrugging and putting down their behaviour down to an overly aggressive game of hide and seek, she made her way back to her and Jack's room. When she pushed open the door, Jack span around from where he had been looking out the window. Panic was written across his face.

"Jack," Katie began, her smile fading at his expression, "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"You!" He yelled, running over to her and hugging her tightly into his chest, "Where did ye go, love?"

"What? Oh, I just went for a walk." Katie answered, nonplussed, as he let go of her to look into her face. Her green eyes were wide with confusion. "Where did you think I went?"

"I've had them all searching for you! I thought- I thought-"Jack stuttered. Katie frowned at him.

"I was hardly two minutes away outside, did you not think to look out there?"

"Well the fortress is big enough as it is…" He mumbled, looking embarrassed. This just caused Katie's frown to deepen and she folded her arms across her chest, tapping her foot on the floor. Jack had seen enough angry women to know what this body language translated to.

"You _cannot_ keep me locked up in here forever, Jack. I don't know what you think is going to happen to me, but I assure you that it is nothing. I've had a bit of a cough which is clearing up and I feel completely well." Her voice was shaking with frustration and temper now. Jack stared down at her for a second.

"Nothing will happen? Right, because_ nothing_ happened last time you went off on your own here!" He reminded her sarcastically.

"History isn't going to repeat itself!"

"You can't _know_ that!" Jack's voice was rising now. "You can't know anything these days!"

"Then neither can you!" They glared furiously at each other for a long moment. "Jack, I don't know what happened to you in that Pit but whatever it is, you have to stop letting it mess with your head!" Jack's angry expression changed to one of surprise then.

"Who said anything about that Pit?" His voice was slightly higher pitched than normal, as it was whenever he was trying to act innocent about something of which he was very guilty. "Nothing happened down that Pit!"

"Did you kiss her?" Katie asked quietly. Bafflement spread across his features then.

"What?"

"Angelica. Did you kiss her? I won't be angry, I'd understand…" Of course she wouldn't be angry, Jack knew that. No, Katie would be devastated. Had he really been acting so strangely that this was the conclusion she drew? He took both of her hands quickly, lifting them up in his and kissing the knuckles on each one.

"Darling. I would _never_." He felt a pang when he saw her disbelieving expression. "Katie, I'm not lying. I've never lied to you!"

"You're lying to me right now, Jack. Because I'm not stupid: I know something happened in that Pit. And if that wasn't what happened, something else did, something Elizabeth won't talk about either." Jack looked into her eyes for a long moment before seeming to decide something. He dropped one of her hands and instead pulled her by the other out of their room. "Where are we going?" She questioned. He didn't answer, and didn't speak to her again until they were outside. She asked again where he was taking her but he ignored the question, leading her all the way around the edge of the island and mountain, past the cave they had taken refuge in during the storm and into the trees. After walking for at least twenty minutes, he led her off the main path that had been trodden there and pulled her around to face into a small clearing. It was hard to make anything out in the darkness of the night, but in the centre of the clearing there was a small white marble stone sticking out of the ground.

Jack had let finally let go of her hand, and Katie bent down to look at it. It was indeed what she had thought it was; a headstone. The words engraved on it were simple: '_Feronia Sparrow. We will miss you forever.'_

Katie ran her fingers over the lettering, feeling a strange sense of stillness within her. Slowly, she stood and turned back to face Jack, who was examining the fingernails of his right hand and determinedly not looking at her. She didn't know what to say.

"My mother died of pneumonia when I was eight." Jack mumbled, when Katie didn't speak. "There are stories about her dying in a great battle against the French navy. But the truth is, she was ill." He glanced up at her quickly, but then went back to looking at his fingernails. "It started with a cough." Katie's mouth dropped open. She recalled Teague's reaction to hearing her cough, and everything dropped into place. "She kept sayin' she was alright, but she was out of breath all the time. Then she couldn't get up at all, it tired 'er out too much, she 'ad a fever."

"Jack…"

"Dad came out one day an' said, 'yer mother's gone to sleep'. I asked when she'd be up, an' 'e just looked at me. An' then 'e looked at me some more. An' then 'e hugged me. Only time in me whole life he's hugged me." His voice was becoming rough, and Katie could see how difficult he was finding it to talk about all of this. "Funny thing is, I don't remember me Mum much. I only really knew 'er in the end, right before it 'appened. But I knew I was like 'er. I'm not like Dad." He finally looked up at her. "You understand why I can't 'ave that 'appen to you?" Slowly, Katie nodded. "I don't wanna fight, Katie. Especially not about Angelica. But if I'm gonna fight you on anythin', it's yer health."

Katie walked over to Jack and hugged him. It might be one of many hugs, not singular like the one he'd once received from Teague, but she could almost see the little boy who'd lost his mother standing before her. He wrapped his arms around her in return and they stood silently for a moment.

"Your mother was really ill when she was supposed to have died in a fight." Katie murmured, "My mother was supposed to have died of an illness but really she died in a fight."

"Yer mother's dead?" Jack held her out at arm's length to look at her. She had only ever mentioned her mother's Irish ancestry before, but not anything else.

"She was a Catholic, and she was hounded down for it. My father was a lawyer and couldn't associate with her anymore. They separated and as a precaution he had her put into an asylum. It wasn't the sort of battle where you fight hand to hand, but she died all the same. By her own hand."

"I'm sorry." Jack told her.

"What on earth for?"

"I dunno… it's just what you say, in'it?" He shrugged. Katie smiled up at him and he smiled back tentatively. "You _are_ a lot better now, love. I probably did overreact a bit…"

"You think?" She raised an eyebrow as she took his hand and began leading him back towards the Cove. "You know, Will is here." She informed him as they passed the cave again.

"Oh no, not the Whelp." Jack pouted.

"He's your friend." Katie laughed, "I don't know why you pretend he isn't."

"He's too annoying to be _my_ friend."

"_You're_ too annoying to be _my_ friend…" The pleasant bickering lasted all the way back to the fortress, smiles on both faces, their fight long forgotten much the annoyance of the pirates that had still been searching for Katie the entire time the pair had been away.

**A/N: The last chapter was short so I tried to make this one a bit longer and less eventful so we can really explore Jack and Katie's relationship in the current state it is. Next time we'll be back to some plot stuff, which is important. Thanks for reading, and please remember to drop me a review too!**


	18. According to Plan

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: According to Plan**

_The little boy dragged his stick through the sand as he walked, his dark head bowed and forlorn. The sea beside him drifted calmly in and out and he wished he was big enough to sail, big enough to run away. The other children had been bullying him again, pushing him around because he was the smallest. When he told his father, he was just told to toughen up. He sighed to himself and lifted his head, then gasped as he saw the figure coming out of the trees ahead of him. The woman had brown hair down to her waist and a proud face with high cheekbones. When she saw the boy had noticed her at last, her face broke out into a beautiful smile, losing its tough edge for a moment. The boy dropped the stick he was holding and ran to her, slamming into her legs as he hugged her._

"_Mother!" Feronia bent down to examine the little boy's face, so much like hers but with brown eyes like his father instead of her blue. His face was grimy and she could see where the tears had made clean tracks down his cheeks._

"_Jackie, are you alright?" His happy beam faded at the question, and fresh tears welled up. He shook his head. She stroked his hair, which was hanging about his shoulders and in need of a wash. She sometimes regretted being away so much, when she saw that her son, hardly six years old, was struggling the way he was. He was in desperate need of nurturing._

"_Mum," He said, as they walked up the beach hand-in-hand back to the fortress, "Are you goin' away again?" _

"_Yes, but not quite yet."_

"_Can I come wiv you?" His voice was small and pleading. She looked down at him sadly._

"_It wouldn't be safe."_

"_But I'll get beaten up." He sniffed. Feronia stopped and once again crouched down to be level with him._

"_You listen to me, Jack Sparrow: one day you're gonna be bigger than all of them, and you'll be able to run 'em through. But until then, you find the biggest, ugliest kid and you be their best friend, alright? And don't cry anymore. I don't want you to cry." Jack peered into his mother's face and nodded bravely. She smiled and kissed him on the forehead before straightening up once more, taking his hand. He felt safe with his mother. If only she didn't have to leave…_

"Jack? Jack!" Jack jerked awake as Katie shook him. They were in the captain's quarters on _The Black Pearl,_ though Jack had fallen asleep in the chair at his desk.

"Sorry, love." She noticed he looked sad as he said that, and he turned away from her, back to the papers on the table before him. As the weather had gotten warmer and the pirates had become none the wiser about stagnant hearts and blooming loves, the Brethren Court had decided that they may as well just put their plans into action and hope for the best. Everyone had become sick of being cooped up at Shipwreck Cove anyway. Now, ten ships sailed to a certain place in the middle of the sea, the nine Pirate Lords following _The Flying Dutchman_. Katie merely watched as Jack took a gulp of rum.

"Where exactly is it we sail to?"

"The Mediterranean. We should be there in a few days." He answered. Katie nodded, though Jack wasn't watching her. When they had set off they'd all been glad to be doing something again, but nerves and anxiety was setting in all round. Many pirates who hadn't prayed in years had begun fervently doing so at every irregular wave and the atmosphere could be cut with a knife except for when everyone was drunk.

"We'll be alright. We have to put on a brave face." Katie said, after a long pause. Jack grimaced at this but agreed, standing up.

"Yer right about that love. No use worryin' about it, is there?"

"None." She agreed with a small smile. The pair headed out on deck where Gibbs was at the helm.

"Any sign of trouble?" Jack asked his First Mate, acting his usual cheerful self once more as he did whenever they were around the rest of the crew; that was what a good captain did, keep the morale up. If only he could keep the dreams he was having a secret from Katie.

"Nothin'," Gibbs said, casting a wary eye around at the surrounding seas, "Seems a bit strange to me, though, no navy in all this."

"Well as soon as Calypso's bound again they'll be on us like flies to dung just like old times." Jack grinned, his gold teeth showing.

"I was just learnin' to sleep easy knowin' I won't wake up in a cell." Gibbs grumbled. Jack looked around and noticed that Katie had drifted off to look over the rail at the green-blue sea they were sailing over.

"I'm just hopin' this works because if it doesn't, we'll 'ave two angry women to deal with."

"Why does I have a feelin' Angelica is gonna show up again soon?" Gibbs asked, eyes glittering.

"Because these things always blow up in our face at the same time." Jack supplied, and Gibbs chuckled.

"Aye, but Calypso an' Angelica only make two enemies an' these things always come in threes." Jack thought about this, wondering what was left on earth that could possibly go wrong they hadn't survived already. His eyes strayed once more to Katie, who suddenly looked very small and vulnerable against the ocean backdrop. He swallowed, then noticed Gibbs was still watching him.

"Ye know at first I didn't believe you loved that girl but it's written all over yer face." Gibbs informed him. Jack gave him a filthy look. "Ye think yer hard to read Jack, but yer not."

"Am too." Jack insisted.

"Are not." Gibbs argued.

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"Will you two stop?" Katie interrupted amusedly, having drifted back over to the pair as they bickered. "You're like an old married couple." Gibbs mumbled something which she didn't hear but which made Jack punch him in the arm. Cursing, the First Mate wandered away. "Jack, I was just thinking and I think you should teach me to use a sword." She knew his answer before it was out of his mouth:

"No." He said firmly, turning away from her and placing his hands on the wheel.

"I know we don't have time to do it properly right now but if I could just learn to block I'll be better off if… well, you know." Angelica knew how to use a sword, after all, and Katie had an idea of where she had learnt to fight.

"I'm not a good teacher." Jack said uncomfortably, confirming her suspicions.

"I would ask someone else but the crew is in such a touchy mood…" Katie pouted. Jack noticed this and fixed his gaze even more firmly on the horizon, determined not to be taken in by her persuasive powers.

"There won't be a need for it, love." Jack told her.

"You can't possibly know that." She echoed the words he had used when explaining to her why she shouldn't wander off alone at Shipwreck Cove a few weeks before. Jack looked even more uneasy when this occurred to him, which only convinced Katie to continue searching for the chink in his armour.

"There won't be a need fer it 'cause nobody's gonna attack ya, savvy?"

"I suppose you're going to be by my side every second from now until the day I die?" Katie raised an eyebrow. Jack didn't answer, just glared defiantly ahead. "You know how much damage a dagger did, imagine what a sword would do…" Jack suddenly seized her shoulders, shaking her slightly.

"_Don't_ talk like that." He growled, glaring at her with such intensity that Katie felt a little weak at the knees. Recollecting herself as he let go of her, she smiled, knowing she was close to getting what she wanted. Jack was also all too aware that he was on the verge of giving in because he said, "You're gettin' good at manipulating me, aren't you?"

"Is that a bad thing?" Katie asked.

"Well…" A slow grin began to cross his lips, "Fine, I'll teach ye the basics, now quit badgering me, I have work to do!" Katie laughed and stepped forward to kiss him on the cheek. As she made to walk away, however, he pulled her back towards him. "Oi." He muttered, before kissing her properly on the lips.

"Ahem." The obnoxious clearing of a throat interrupted them, and they broke apart to find Gibbs standing there for a second time. "I'll spew up me rum if you two carry on like this."

Jack was not the only one having strange memories come back to him in moments of vulnerability. The sea seemed to swirl in strange patterns as they sailed, almost hypnotic, and many of the crew were quiet by night as the feeling of nostalgia overwhelmed each of them in turn. It was not something they discussed, however, so nobody quite realised everyone else was also experiencing the same thing, not to mention that the other crews, barring that of the _Flying Dutchman_, were experiencing other strange phenomena.

Katie was stood by the rail of the ship around midnight, watching the mysterious waters, when the memory swept over her as vividly as any current event.

_Her long green skirts swished pleasantly around her legs as she climbed the front steps to the house on her father's arm. She was fifteen years old and this was her debut into society, a year later than usual on account of Scarlet Fever the year before. They were greeted by the servants at the door and ushered inside. _

"_May I present to you, Sir Gerald, my daughter, Kathryn." Her father indeed presented her like a prized object, though she felt a flicker of annoyance at this. She was only interested in the ball, and the dancing, not meeting these old fogies._

"_Charming." Sir Gerald made her a bow. "My son has been waiting eagerly to meet you."_

"_I think every eligible bachelor has been waiting to meet her, am I wrong?" The two men laughed at her father's joke, but her eyes went over Sir Gerald's shoulder and across the elaborate reception area to the grand doors leading to the ballroom._

"_My butler will show you to the party." Sir Gerald chortled, and Katie blindly followed the man towards the doors she was so eager to get through. As they got closer she could hear the music through the wood, was already counting the steps, her feet itching to move already, but of course she would have to wait until somebody asked her to dance. She didn't care who did, but she only hoped they would do so quickly. The butler bowed as he opened the doors and light and colour flooded out of them…_

"Do you wanna learn to swordfight or what?" Katie blinked, coming back to herself and the present, nine years later. Jack was looking impatient.

"I thought you must've gone to bed." She told him.

"Nah. Take this." He handed her a spare sword. Katie lifted it, testing the weight in her hand. It wasn't too heavy, though she was sure she would still ache after a while of trying to use it. Jack proceeded to show her a few basic moves, mostly defensive ones. He only clipped her sword with his gently, the metal whispering as it met metal, demonstrating the obvious attacks that most enemies would attempt. Katie managed to pick blocking up quickly, though she knew Jack was going a lot slower than he would if he was really attacking her, and-

_The sword swung up, catching him unawares and causing his own to go hurtling out of his hand. The sword came around again and stopped inches from his throat. Jack looked down the length of the blade and met Angelica's mirthful brown eyes._

"_I am getting good, yes?" She laughed._

"_Far too good." He agreed as she lowered the sword._

"Jack?" Katie was once again finding herself looking at Jack as he gawped off into space. Her blinked and seemed to see her again, and realised he was holding his sword aloft, and Katie was before him with her arms folded. "You keep doing that."

"So do you." He retorted. They glared at each other for a minute. He sheathed his sword and came towards her. "Katie, remind me who you are again." He said quietly.

"I'm Katie O'Connor, your wife." She answered, then sucked in a breath. Jack stared down at her shocked expression for a moment, but the strange mood that had suddenly gripped them both passed as he began to laugh. After a moment, Katie began to laugh too.

"I think we've started believing our own lie, love." He said.

"Don't let anyone else hear you say that!" She giggled, and at the sound he impulsively leant forward and kissed her on the lips. Katie looked up at him, her green eyes dancing.

"Can't you keep your hands off me for five minutes, Jack?"

"Five minutes might be all the time we have, love." She shrieked as he picked her up easily, walking with her towards the cabin.

"Jack!" She cried.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked her, pausing for a second to set her back on her feet.

"Shut up." She advised him, before seizing his hand and dragging him into the cabin. After all, he was right; they may not have much time left if this didn't go according to plan.

**A/N: It's probably obvious to anyone who has read this and anyone who cares to examine the gap between this chapter and last that I was suffering horrific writers block here. I don't like this chapter and I am almost definitely going to edit it later. It's hard to keep filler interesting, but that isn't an excuse for the way this is written. I am glad to say, however, that now this is over everything should go smoothly again so please forgive me. In addition to writers block, a family member just died under horrible circumstances so I've been having trouble concentrating on this story. Thanks for bearing with me though, feel free to critique this, but please don't give up on me!**


	19. A Sea of Flames

**CHAPTER NINETEEN: A Sea of Flames**

A few nights later, the motley fleet of pirates were drifting on an eerily peaceful Mediterranean sea under a bright full moon. The water was a deep, beautiful blue which reflected the clear starry sky. They were not expected to reach their destination until the morning and so had a few hours in which to enjoy the quiet. It was the sort of the night that made it easy to forget what they were facing. Jack and Katie were sleeping in each other's arms. Despite the sense of calm that had fallen upon the whole crew over the past few days, the strange and mixed memories fading out, their dreams were still bizarre and more vivid than usual.

Jack was dreaming of Katie in the dress she had been wearing the first time he met her, her long red hair pinned up fashionably, her smile as pretty as ever. It was sunset and they were at the docks in London again, and her green eyes seemed to glow as she looked at him. He was smiling back, content and happy. But Katie seemed to be getting further away… he was on a ship, sailing down the Thames, away from her. He was yelling for her, calling to her, but she just raised her hand and waved before turning and going back home, back to whatever her life had been before him...

Katie was dreaming of dancing with Jack on the empty deck of _The Black Pearl_. They span round and round and beautiful music played in the background. He was the only person she'd ever danced with that she was so aware of as they danced, her attention not just on the steps of the dance and the music they were set to but on his firm, calloused hands on her waist and his warm, bright brown eyes. But there was something wrong. His eyes were cold… dead. Jack fell away from her, falling back onto the deck of the ship, lifeless…

"No!" Jack and Katie awoke at the exact same time and in the same way, sitting abruptly upright. Katie looked around at Jack. He had a tear leaking from the corner of his eye. He pulled her to him, letting out an audible gasp of relief. "You're here…"

"Jack?" Katie asked, and he heard the fear in her voice. And then the chance of them waking at the same time, in the same manner, swam to the front of his mind. It was _too_ coincidental; spookily so. They stared at each other, realising what it meant.

"It's time…" He muttered. She nodded and leaned towards him, holding his face in her hands for a moment. She didn't know what to say, but he seemed to know what she meant. He placed his hand over one of hers for a moment, caressing it, before they both dropped the contact and leapt out of bed, pulling on boots and swords and guns hastily. By the time they clattered out onto the deck, there was already noise and commotion from the rest of the crew, who had also been forced to witness their worst nightmare in horribly potent detail. Fear was in every face as they performed the manoeuvres they had rehearsed a thousand times before this day. The night was clear enough to be able to see the other ships, and Katie found herself looking toward the_ Flying Dutchman_. It had come to a stop in the centre as the other nine ships began to position themselves quickly into a circle around it. To their right, Barbossa was at the helm of the _Queen Anne's Revenge_, looking determined but with not a single shred of worry in his face. Jack saw him and thought, as he often had, that nothing scared that man. It was a detached, random thought that soon passed.

When the ships were in their position there was a silence, but then Elizabeth's voice rang out from the _Empress_ towards the sky.

"Mindful of the full moon this night, Calypso, daughter of the sea, we summon thee!" Tensely, the pirates waited. The silence seemed to stretch on for an eternity, not even the sea itself seeming to move or make a sound. Jack reached out a hand, and Katie took it, and they both gripped hard. Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, not sure the summons had worked. But then, out of the centre of the sky, the swirling eye of a storm appeared where before it had not existed. It was not large but intensely concentrated and hovered directly above the _Flying Dutchman_. A terrible voice, all at once feminine and deep, boomed out.

"I have heard dis treacherous summons before!" Katie felt the back of her neck prickle with the power the simple words contained. "I have been waiting for dis call, waiting for de day de Brethren Court come find me again! Come find me when dey have an enemy dey cannot defeat!" Jack squeezed Katie's hand and Katie squeezed back. "Some of you might tink I am such an enemy, but though my wrath is terrible, I have restraint! I was freed! No longer was I tied down to de whims of man!"

The sea gave a threatening lurch beneath them all, every ship being violently tossed upwards for a moment before it settled once more, too neatly and quickly to be natural.

"De stagnant heart of Barbossa… de man who freed me." Katie looked towards the _Queen Anne's Revenge_. Barbossa stood defiant. "But you are still here to see me bound again. An' de blooming love of Kathryn and Jack… a love none would guess would come, but de love the main architect of dis meeting between god and man… more dan you both realise." Katie and Jack felt every eye on them at this. The other Brethren had not been sure that they had a 'blooming love', giving that all the couples there were already married. "The love last time, dat was my love… mine and Davy Jones, before him tricked me. But dis time, dere will be no resistance from me… provided you know what you are dealing with!"

On the last words, the entire sky was covered with clouds so thick and dark that it was difficult to see more than an arms-length ahead. The sea immediately began to toss and rile beneath them so violently that most people were thrown off their feet, and the _Flying Dutchman _submerged itself hastily. Katie and Jack managed to remain on their feet but only because they both grabbed the wheel, which span wildly as a result. Gibbs had also managed to stay standing and he rushed forward along with Cotton to still it, while Jack began firing off nautical orders with ferocity.

"Batten down the hatches! Come around the wind! Ballast!" Sailors were scrambling to their feet and hurrying to try and secure the ship so that it could hold its own against the suddenly raging wind.

"Jack!" Katie cried sharply as the ship lurched and water sloshed on deck. Jack looked at her and saw her frozen to the spot. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into a corner which was slightly sheltered by the quarterdeck steps.

"I've seen 'er do worse than this, love. When she was freed she created a maelstrom that almost sucked us in." He told her.

"I'm scared." She whispered, and though it was hard to hear her over the thunderous storm, Jack read her lips. This wasn't dissimilar to the way they had spent Christmas Day, though now they were much further off port and the worst was surely yet to come. He saw all of this in her face and forced himself to be firm rather than nurturing to her fear.

"Katie, you've never been scared of anythin' in yer life." She stared at him for a long moment and then nodded, squaring her shoulders in a gesture he recognised, one of determination. "By the way…" He added, ignoring the cries of the crew as they struggled for a moment longer, "Kathryn, she called you?" Katie took his hand gently then.

"Jack, my Christian name is Kathryn but I've always been called Katie by friends. I've never lied to you about my name- I've never thought of myself as a Kathryn."

"Thank you." He said in an odd voice, before leading her out by the hand he still held and onto the deck. Katie could see the other ships struggling against the elements, and Mistress Ching's ship, the _Kin Tai Fong_, was just being brought back from the brink of capsizing. The _Black Pearl_ was fairing among the best, as was the _Queen Anne's Revenge_, possibly Calypso had acknowledged those of the most stagnant heart and blooming love were aboard them. The _Empress_, almost the entire way across the circle of ships, was battling hard with the elements. The _Dutchman _had not resurfaced, though they needed Will for the actual binding of Calypso.

The ship jerked violently again and this time Katie fell, sliding on the wet deck. Jack managed to catch her before she hit the wood but before they could both straighten up again, there was a flash of lightning and suddenly everything was bright and blazing.

The sea had turned to fire. The crew froze in horror. While the violent tossing of the storm had immediately ceased, ships were made of wood and wood would burn! Jack ran to the rail and peered over. The flames licked the side of the _Black Pearl_ and smoke rose along with extreme heat which smacked him in the face as he looked over. However, the flames didn't seem to be taking to the wood, though they were climbing higher. Some of them began to leap about and sparks jumped upwards, causing Jack and other pirates who had looked over the edge to pull their heads back hastily for fear of singed hair.

"The ship isn't burning!" Jack reassured them, and the crew broke out in cries of relief; a fiery death was more certain than a watery one, not to mention far more painful. However, the sparks were still threatening anyone who went too close to the edge and Katie's eyes followed them, even as she broke out into a sweat from the sheer heat of the flames. Somewhere, on another ship, a sailor leant too far over the edge and they all heard his screams as he fell into the sea of fire. Everyone winced, but Katie saw the flames rise as if his body had been sustenance to them, and her eyes crossed over the hold and the cannons.

"Oh God!" She screamed in horror, "The gunpowder! The rum! It'll blow up!" The reaction was instant. Everyone hurried down to the hold to try and secure the cargo in the centre somehow, away and out of the reach of the fire. The smoke that rose from the flames, though they didn't burn the ships, was thick and black and made it once again impossible to see very far. Katie felt it stinging her eyes and stumbled half-blind towards Jack, who held onto her with a grip so tight it might bruise.

"You clever girl," He growled, kissing her cheek. "We would've been done for…"

"Jack!" She cried again, "Jack, even if we don't burn and we aren't blown up, we'll boil to death soon! We need to cool down!" All around them, pirates were getting proximity burns from the heat and everybody was sweating buckets, Jack and Katie included.

"We need to keep our heads!" Jack barked, "GENTS!" Everyone looked towards their captain, "We need all the water we have, and we need to douse ourselves in it!" The kitchen door was jerked open, as was the hold once more, and every barrel of water was brought up on deck by men so hot it was difficult to move.

"We need to do this quickly!" Katie coughed.

"We need to cover everyone!" Gibbs agreed from the helm, which he hadn't left.

"Grenades in the centre of all the barrels!" A new voice cried suddenly, "When they blow the barrels will be shattered and the water will blow everywhere!" Realising it was the only way, the crew, including Katie, began to hurry to follow these instructions, other than one person. Jack turned around in the direction of the voice, beside the mast.

"Angelica?" And there she was, in the middle of all the chaos, as ever, though for once she didn't look as cool as a cucumber; quite the opposite. Her brown hair was sticking to her face and neck from the heat and she seemed to be struggling to breathe, panting as if she had run a marathon. "How long have you been here? _How_ did you get here?"

"Oh don't worry, I haven't been here long! But surely I am the least of your worries now?" Angelica snapped.

"_You_ are my one and only worry." Jack said through gritted teeth.

"And just when I may have saved your life! And your little wife, too!" Just as she said it, the water barrels exploded. Cool water splashed everywhere, drenching everyone head to foot, soothing burns and cooling everybody down. Laughing slightly hysterically, Katie turned around and spotted Angelica, also now soaking wet, and her expression turned to rage and hatred.

"YOU!" And Katie launched herself at the Spanish woman, knocking her to the floor and punching every inch of her that she could reach. Jack knew he should be breaking the fight up, yet stood rooted to the spot. His chest swelled a little in pride at Katie, however, even as he dreaded what Angelica might do. However, he was wrong to assume Katie was at a disadvantage. After a minute of violent scuffling, Katie came out on top, pinning Angelica down and glaring.

"I cannot fight back! I am unarmed! So do the dishonourable thing now and hurt me as much as you can, I cannot die anyway!" Angelica screeched. Both women were breathing heavily now.

"Don't – talk - to me- about - honour! You almost killed me!" Katie half-screamed in her face. Jack had never seen her so incensed. "You tell me how you got onto this ship before I throw you off it!"

"Girls," Jack made an attempt to interject with his usual bravado but his voice cracked in panic. The flames were still rising, he was starting to warm up again, and he still didn't trust that Angelica wouldn't and couldn't do any harm to Katie.

"Cap'n!" Gibbs interrupted, "I'm sorry to distract ye from this scene, but we need to find a way to navigate through this fire before we can enjoy this sweet reunion!" He spat the last word in Angelica's direction and Jack remembered that nobody but he, Elizabeth and Katie knew Angelica had been in the Money Pit on Oak Island. Jack looked toward the two women and sighed before agreeing.

"Unarm them and take them to the brig. I don't think they'll be done whatever we say to 'em." He said firmly. Neither Katie nor Angelica took kindly to being dragged to their feet, though Jack was the one who removed Katie's weapons, and he did so much more gently than the man who searched Angelica.

"Jack what are you doing?" Katie demanded of him as he slid his hand down her leg and into her boot to remove the very dagger Angelica had stabbed her with those months ago. He knew she'd carried it with her ever since.

"I'll give these back to you, love. Just, don't hate me fer this, alright?" He looked imploringly into her eyes and something in them softened slightly.

"I couldn't hate you, Jack." She murmured. He kissed her one last time on the lips, a chaste peck being all they had time for, before he allowed the women to be removed from the deck. He noticed Angelica glaring at the gesture, though he didn't look directly at her. There were more important things, right now, like saving all their lives while binding this goddess.

He took a deep breath and thought about the flames, trying to-reimagine them as a sea. After all, given the ships were not burning, he had guessed the flames were not truly fire, but a terrifying illusion Calypso had conjured up. She had caused the sea to become boiling hot, hot enough to kill. The sparks could inflame something, true enough, but the sea itself could not. Yes, if he focused, he could picture the orange flames as a dark blue sea with a quick current, and he could still feel the breeze that had driven them before the storm, though the breeze had turned hot enough to scald. Smiling at his success, he began to shout out commands once more, though his throat was dry, to sail. Confused but scared, the men obeyed. Elizabeth had also cottoned on and was directing the _Empress_. Slowly, the ships began to circle round in the pattern they had read, practised, charted and planned, ignoring the fire. It was even more important now that they bind Calypso, and to do that they needed to create the conditions needed to allow the _Flying Dutchman_ to resurface.

**A/N: I loved getting to write a bit more action in here, as well as the shock appearance of Angelica. What reason will she give for appearing now of all times? Thanks to everybody who offered their condolences last chapter, and for giving it positive feedback I don't feel it deserved. A difficult time is being made slightly easier by being able to write this, which I enjoy. So thank you more than ever for taking the time to read this, even if you don't leave a review (even though that that would be the icing on the cake!)**


	20. Never Simple

**CHAPTER TWENTY: Never Simple**

While the fight against the ocean of fire was ongoing, Katie and Angelica were taken down to the brig. They were placed in separate cells, facing each other, and as Gibbs locked Katie into hers he murmured an apology before hurrying back upstairs. Katie sighed; she knew this was Jack getting his own way and having her out of the way for the action. He was being overprotective as usual. However, it was cooler down in the brig away from the flames and, unable to attack Angelica, she had a moment to breathe.

Angelica was watching Katie like a hawk. The latter was leaning against the cell bars, arms folded, looking both frustrated and resigned. They could feel the ship moving though there seemed to be no impact, which was a good sign. Finally, after a long silence, Angelica spoke:

"I cannot believe Jack married _you_." Katie turned to face her now, green eyes still livid.

"You don't know me."

"I know who you are not." Katie sighed at this.

"I'm not talking in riddles to you."

"Well," Angelica sighed, sitting down and crossing her legs, "What is it that made you so special? You and Jack do not have history and you do not share an upbringing. You are not a whore he took a special fancy to."

"I don't know. What made _you _so special, Angelica? What makes anybody special?" Katie snapped.

"I assumed Jack would not have told you the truth of his past with me." Angelica said.

"It would have been unavoidable with all the trouble you've caused us." Katie wished once more that she could be back on deck because even with the near-unbearable heat of the fire, she would be able to hurt Angelica there.

"Still, Jack is clever. He lies."

"Not to me." Katie said with some pride and plenty of conviction. She recalled the single tear that had escaped him when he'd awoken from his nightmare. Had that only happened such a short while ago? The rivals looked at each other for a moment before Angelica finally spoke once more:

"I believe you… Katie, isn't it?" She didn't look as if the name came comfortably to her, "I believe he loves you. Or I would not hate you so much."

"Why don't you just let this go? He's moved on." Katie said briskly.

"I haven't."

"Perhaps it's time you did."

"Perhaps. But even without that, he still left me on that island." This, Katie could not argue with. She just leant back against the bars once more and closed her eyes. It was eerie to feel the _Pearl _move without the corresponding sound of the sea.

"Why are you here, Angelica? And more importantly, how?" Katie repeated her earlier question.

"I don't have a cunning way of following you. At Oak Island and then today, I just found myself here. I blinked and I was here. I think Calypso did it." Katie opened her eyes to search for the lie in Angelica's face but saw none. And of course, if she had found a way to stow away aboard the _Black Pearl_ they would have found her long ago. "I think it was her way of showing Jack who he loved…"

"By showing you?" Katie tried to sound disdainful but she suddenly recalled the first time she had slept with Jack and he had said _'I think I love you'. _He had never gotten around to actually saying that he loved her properly, or mentioned the word love again. Katie had not been focusing on her insecurities about Angelica as much recently, because everything Jack did indicated the truth. And that, she knew, should be enough for her. It _had _been enough for her, until Angelica had once again sown the seed of doubt. Before she could pursue that thought though, Angelica answered:

"He loves _you_, Katie. Any fool can see that. When he looks at me he is cold. And I just saw the way he looks at you. I might hate you for that, but that does not mean it isn't true." Katie stared at Angelica, surprised by the turn of events and conversation that had taken place between them. It was at that exact moment, though, that someone came down the steps to the brig.

"Come." Sully, a member of Jack's crew, had the keys to Katie's cell. She was released and taken up on deck again where the heat hit her as soon as she stepped out. Squinting in the flames and smoke, Katie followed Sully to where Jack was stood.

"Me an' you have to go aboard the _Flying Dutchman _now." He told her. She frowned and turned her head to see that, indeed, the _Dutchman_ had somehow managed to surface. It was only when she looked closer that she realised a small section of water had reappeared in the centre of the circle of ships, though it was still ringed in fire.

"How are we supposed to get over there?" She wanted to know.

"That's what you'll need me for." Another voice said. Turning, she found herself face-to-face with Will. "How are you, Katie?" He asked her.

"I'm…" She began, unsure.

"Think we've all been better, mate." Jack said, putting his hand on the small of her back. "You _are_ alright though, aren't ya, love?" He added to her quietly. She nodded. "What did Angelica say? I'm sorry I had to send ye down there."

"No you're not." She said sternly, though a small smile turned the corners of her mouth up. His eyes glittered.

"Yer right, I'm not." Jack agreed.

"I can't tell you right now." She glanced towards Will, who was looking expectant. He held out his hand to Katie and she looked at it for a second, but Jack gave her a little nudge of encouragement. As soon as Will closed his hand on hers, she had the strange sensation that she was being sucked through a very tight vacuum. She closed her eyes against the uncomfortable feeling but it was over in seconds and she could breathe again, opening her eyes to find she was now on-board the _Flying Dutchman. _Jack was beside her, looking around in slight confusion.

"Jack Sparrow." A voice said, and Jack grinned at a pallid man standing a few feet away at the helm.

"Bootstrap!" Jack grinned, and Katie understood that this was Will's father, the well-famed Bootstrap Bill Turner, Jack's old friend.

"There'll be time for a chat later." Will said, and moved aside to reveal Barbossa, standing leaning against the rail, eating an apple like this was all part of a day's work. The other Pirate Lords were also scattered about, nobody liking to stand too close to each other. Chastised, Jack turned back to Will. "You three need to hold hands and say the words together. I have to bless it, and she will be bound." At the last word the flames flared upwards around the edge of the circle of sea that had reappeared. "Then all the Pirate Lord's must present your nine pieces of eight, and a fragment of her power will be encased inside it."

"We know, Turner, ge' on wi' it!" Barbossa growled, rolling his yellow eyes. He threw his apple overboard and approached Jack and Katie. The former took Barbossa's hand with disgust in his face which made Katie giggle as she took the hands of both men, gripping Jack's a little tighter. The remaining seven Pirate Lord's formed a loose circle around theirs. The three looked at each other, nodded, then began to recite the words they had memorised at pains in Shipwreck Cove.

"Calypso, daughter of Atlas, Odyssean Goddess of the Sea, we present to you the stagnant heart of an eternal warrior and the blooming heart of two lovers, bringing you humanity and servitude. We entreat ye!" There was a pause and not one person breathed. Nobody was ever sure this would work a second time.

The suspense was shattered as the flames surrounding everything suddenly roared upwards, the heat engulfing everything, blinding everybody momentarily. But then, they were gone, the sea was as it should be, and the clouds overhead disappeared to once again showcase the beautiful full moon, leaving just a strange dark mist hanging over the deck of the _Flying Dutchman_. Barbossa let go of Jack and Katie's hands to remove the feather from his hat, as Elizabeth held in her palm a pretty dark blue stone- blue tiger eye. The other Pirate Lords were also offering seemingly random objects in which to contain a piece of Calypso's power. It had been agreed that using assorted items instead of actual pieces of eight had probably been what protected them from discovery or theft for years before. As such, Jack suddenly realised he'd never decided on what he was going to use as his own piece of eight this time.

He felt something being pressed into his palm and he looked down. Katie had slid off her 'wedding' ring for the first time since he'd given it to her and was handing it to him.

"It'll be safe with me." She whispered. He smiled at her before opening his palm as the others had and offering it outwards. The effect was instant, though only the Pirate Lord's felt the change in the air. Katie and Will saw the strange dark fog vanish into each of the nine pieces of eight, but Jack felt as if suddenly caught in a violent wind, as if the most furious rain was battering his face despite the fact that nothing moved. The ring in his hand grew painfully hot for a mere second and then returned seemingly to normal. Everybody realised at the same time that the ritual was over, because the strange atmosphere that had bound them all vanished. When they all blinked, Katie was the first to see a woman standing between herself, Jack and Barbossa, all three of whom took a step back from the close proximity. She had the appearance of an Obeah sorceress, thin in stature, with dark skin and dreadlocks like Jack's. She had dark patterns painted around her eyes and a wide smile that revealed discoloured teeth. Her dress was grand and yet bedraggled at the same time.

"Jack Sparrow, we meet again." Calypso, or Tia Dalma as she was always known in her human form, greeted him first, "And you, Barbossa. And dis, Jack, is your beloved, isn't it?" She looked at Katie with interest. "You have something about you, Kathryn Sparrow." Jack moved slightly closer to Katie in both a protective and reassuring gesture. "Well, I knew dis day would come. I did not expect to be free forever, though you all know what I am." She turned next to Will. "I always said dere was a touch of destiny about you, William Turner, and dis destiny has been fulfilled."

"I was always in your service." Will said humbly.

"You do your job much more satisfactorily dan de previous worker."

Katie looked up at Jack. He was already looking at her, a strange expression on his face.

"Kathryn Sparrow." He repeated quietly.

"But she knows…" Katie whispered back, and he nodded. "I can't believe this is all over." Jack glanced around. Most of the Pirate Lords were heading back to their ships surreptitiously; glad to be finished with this long and frustrating mission and eager to go back to pillaging and usual piracy.

"Nah. Things are never this simple." His eyes were fixed on a point on the horizon which Katie's eyes followed. White sails had appeared there, several sets, all bearing the Union Jack. Barbossa had seen them too, and he cursed loudly enough for the other pirates to take note.

"We need to get back to the _Pearl."_ Katie seized Jack's hand without thinking, and he suddenly remembered he was still clutching her ring in his other hand. Before he could think to return it, however, the ring burned once more in his hand and suddenly they were, once again, aboard the _Black Pearl. _Katie glanced around, disorientated, as Jack looked towards the other ships. Everybody had been transported back to their rightful vessels, apparently by the power of Calypso within the pieces of eight. He was surprised she was doing them any favours, though he noted that she had probably known the navy were but two steps behind them and had held them up on purpose with the sea of fire.

The pair made to turn towards the helm but found themselves face to face with Tia Dalma herself.

"Who invited you?" Jack demanded, annoyed.

"I invited me." Tia Dalma grinned. Katie felt a strange prickle of uneasiness similar to the one which had filled the entire atmosphere on the build up to this fight, the voyage before it that had been so filled with nightmares seeming a long time ago. It was a discomfort which everyone associated with Tia Dalma if they knew her, though she was new to it.

"We don't have time for this right now!" Katie yelped, pointing towards the still-advancing navy ships. They were outnumbered even with ten pirate crews, and most of those were already well on their way to running.

"Dis is de life you sign up for when binding a sea goddess." Tia Dalma said meaningfully.

"Make way! All haste!" Jack yelled, remembering he was in fact captain of this ship. He was also extremely aware that they had no hope of winning this battle if they chose to fight it. Running away was the only option. However, in their moments of deliberation, the navy were rapidly catching up. The _Flying Dutchman_ had already vanished beneath the surface of the sea.

Katie bit her lip. The navy's flagship was turning about to level its guns directly at the _Pearl_, which was still hastening to turn about the wind and sail as fast as possible away from the danger.

She hurried towards a sail, tightening the rigging, though it seemed so ridiculously small an act in the grand scene of things. Jack had taken the helm and was spinning them as fast as they could, though not fast enough as the first shots fired at them ripped through the lower deck, leading to scattering crew members. More cannonballs ripped through the _Pearl_ even as she began to make progress in escape. The damage would hinder them if not avoided.

It was several minutes before Katie was able to think of anything other than the terrible sound of wood being splintered and the yells of injured crewmates. She could see that most of the other pirates had been caught in individual battles with some of the other navy ships. They had to sail through the broken up line of navy ships, exposing the rear of the _Black Pearl _to possible attack while they relied entirely on speed. There was a lull, however, as the navy ship pursuing them hastened to reposition. It was then that she glanced to her right to find Tia Dalma watching her, eerily unruffled by the commotion ensuing around her. She didn't say anything, but Katie's mind was suddenly filled with the memory of her conversation with Angelica in the brig. _I would not hate you so much…._

Katie dashed off madly in the direction of the brig. Most of the damage had been done to this part of the ship and she was ankle deep in water when she reached it. Another cannonball ripped through the side of the ship just behind Katie, and the force and surprise of it caused her to fall forwards clumsily, throwing out her hands to stop herself falling face first into the water. When she managed to get to her feet, she looked towards the cells. They were both empty.

"No…"

She hurried to the cell Angelica had been incarcerated in. Surely the crew had not betrayed them by letting her out while she and Jack were aboard the _Flying Dutchman_? Katie thought wildly of escape artists and circus acts, of jesters and their tricks. Had Angelica broken out herself? But on closer examination, the lock was still not only intact, but _locked, _as if she had never left. And yet, though she was frantically searching every corner of the brig, Angelica was gone.

**A/N: I'm sorry it's been a while since an update again, this has actually been finished for a while but I haven't been able to upload it. So how has Angelica managed to escape? Yes, Calypso is bound but the story is far from over! Sorry to leave you on a bit of a hangover! Please let me know what you think of this in a review!**


	21. Collies to Wobble

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Collies to Wobble**

The battle had sent them into a state of blind panic and determination. It was many hours later, when they were clear of the navy once more, having left nothing but a wreck sinking to the bottom of the ocean, that the _Black Pearl_ came to rest upon a small, uninhabited island. She was still afloat but progress had been very slow due to the water that had seeped into the ship. They had the materials to repair it but it would take at least a few days.

Katie had searched every inch of the ship, but there was no sign of Angelica. Tia Dalma made no comment; though she was sure it had something to do with her. As the sun set, the crew lay down their tools and began to lounge or explore around the island. Katie finally found herself alone with Jack for what felt like the first time in an eternity, although it had really only been one day. He was sat at the edge of a rock pool some distance from where most of the crew were setting up camp. He'd taken his boots off and was sat with his arms curled around his knees, staring at nothing in particular. Katie sat beside him on the sandy patch of grass.

"I wanna know how she escaped." Jack mumbled.

"I know," Katie said, laying a hand on his arm, "So do I."

"So she just said she found 'erself on the ship? That _she_ did it?" He jerked his head in the direction of the crew to indicate Tia Dalma.

"Yes. I don't know what to think." Katie sighed, her expression glum. Jack looked around at her and his face softened.

"Are you alright, love?" Katie blinked and looked back at him.

"I'm fine." She said.

"Are you sure?" She nodded, but Jack put his arms around her anyway, shifting so that she was leaning against his body, their legs splayed out before them. She closed her eyes as he ran his fingers comfortingly through her red locks. "Jack?" She asked after a while.

"Mm?" Her fingers were lightly drawing patterns on his thigh and he was content for a moment.

"What did you dream about… before?" Katie recalled the tear that had escaped him. It would be impossible to picture Captain Jack Sparrow crying if she had not seen it for herself.

"You… you were leaving me." He replied, almost in a whisper. She opened her eyes again and looked at him. He met her eyes. "You looked so happy… and I was miserable."

"Jack…" Katie reached up to trace the path the tear had followed. "I won't ever leave you… I wouldn't want to. I love you. You know that." Jack leant down so that his forehead rested against hers, his brown eyes staring into her green ones.

"I 'avent said this before, love. I'm no good at… that. But… I love you too, you know that?" He repeated the last part as a question. Katie swiftly placed a soft, gentle kiss on his lips. "Yer me wife, can't imagine me life without you now." He added afterwards. "Which reminds me." He pulled her ring from his pocket and took her left hand, sliding it back onto her ring finger. She smiled down at it, not just a symbol of her and Jack's fake marriage and true love, but now also an important object containing a part of the power of Calypso. Jack bent to kiss the ring.

"How soon will we be off this island?" She asked quietly.

"I hope soon." His eyes darkened with his answer as he looked her over again, "I can 'ardly ravish ye in full view of the crew." Katie blushed, though allowed Jack to kiss her hungrily. His hands kneaded her thighs for a moment, causing a familiar swooping sensation, though the intimacy stopped there for now.

The next couple of days were hard working ones. The entire crew wanted to be off the island. Food was not easy to come by there and what they had with them was being rationed. Once the _Black Pearl_ was mended though, they set off immediately. They were sailing back to Shipwreck Island. Katie was looking forward to seeing Teague again, though Jack was not as keen. He had spent more time with his father in recent months than he'd spent in his entire life, and though the child in him was satisfied, the pirate in him wanted to run away from that. He had accepted closeness with Katie and thrived on it. He was happier in that respect than he'd been in years. But family was different, family issues never disappeared completely.

Katie was thinking the same thing more and more. She would have to tell Jack her story soon. He had said he loved her, and once he'd said it once he said it every day after that. But the moment didn't present itself as they were so happy to be on their way.

Since the navy ships that had been tailing the pirates of the Brethren Court had been obliterated, they had not been able to give word back to the authorities, so their journey back was blissfully uneventful in comparison to the day they'd bound Calypso. Katie could now enjoy the beautiful, deep blue Mediterranean Sea, though the sounds of cannonballs ripping through wood kept echoing in her ears.

It was an afternoon a few weeks later that they spotted Shipwreck Island. They navigated the rocks and reefs as carefully as ever, most pirates discussing making way off the island now the voyage was over. Katie was preoccupied with the feeling that filled her as she stepped off the _Pearl; _she felt like she was coming home. If Jack could have known that, he would never fear her leaving to return to London and her old life. Truth be told, she hardly remembered that life at all, but this place was vibrant in her mind.

The dock was a lot emptier without the Brethren Court being in progress. Of course, this was how it was most of the time, and it left the view open to the _Troubadour_, at which Katie smiled.

She began making her way towards the fortress when she suddenly found Teague right in front of her, grinning. Without even thinking, she flung her arms around the old pirate. He was taken by surprised but patted her on the back, laughing.

"I'm glad yer alright, girl." He said sincerely, his eyes going over her head to Jack who was following her. "What 'appened?" They launched into the entire sequence of events, the weird flashbacks, the upsetting dreams, the storm, the sea of flames and the return of Tia Dalma. They briefly described sinking the navy fleet, and Katie explained how Angelica had appeared suddenly and vanished just as mysteriously. Teague's expression was unreadable by the end.

"Somethin' fishy goin' on there." He commented. "Bet the voodoo girl 'as somethin' to do with it." He'd always referred to Tia Dalma as the 'voodoo girl'.

"I thought so." Katie agreed.

"Aye… we can't do anythin' about it 'til she's gone though. She gives me the collywobbles." Teague added, surprising Jack.

"I didn't know you still 'ad collies to _wobble._"

"She's a useful woman, Jackie, but dangerous. The people who straddle that line are the ones you need eyes on." Teague stumped away towards the fortress now, leaving Jack and Katie to watch.

"Full of useless advice is Dad." Jack said. Katie laughed.

"Yes, well I think we would be better off listening to him." She glanced in Tia Dalma's direction before once again taking the lead back to the fortress.

It was decided it was best not to make the same mistake the first Brethren Court had made by writing down how to bind Calypso. It was generally agreed that if she was ever freed again it would be the last time as piracy couldn't really reign forever and she was far too dangerous to meddle with. This gave them a chance to relax and recuperate after the extremely unsettling experience. It was not the violence or fear that haunted the pirates, but the odd dreams and memories. Even Jack was quieter than usual a lot of the time; he was thinking about his mother.

"What's the next move?" Katie asked Jack that night as they got ready for bed. Jack was just removing his weapons when she posed the question and he looked over at her.

"What, love?" He said distractedly.

"Well we did what we set out to do. We've bound Calypso." Jack thought about this. It had not occurred to him, really, that the adventure was over. It certainly didn't feel that way, and Katie certainly didn't either.

"We haven't sorted our other problem." He commented with a shrug.

"Angelica?"

"Aye." Katie pondered this. Even if they found Angelica they couldn't really do anything to her. However, as long as she was out there she would cause as many problems for them as she could regardless of her original plan of using Calypso having failed. She had made that much clear to Katie in the brig of the _Black Pearl_. Katie sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Jack removed his shirt.

"I suppose we could lock her up." Katie said bluntly after a few moments' thought. Jack looked surprised by this. He'd forgotten how practical she could be about such things in recent times.

"It doesn't seem like it's possible to keep 'er in one place," Jack reminded her, "Not if she keeps doin' this vanishing act."

"Hm… but what else is there? I suppose we can just hope we don't come across her…"

"I don't see that working out too well. It never usually does." Jack got under the covers of the bed and watched Katie's stiff shoulders. "Look, first thing's first, we'll rest a few days then head to Tortuga. Then we'll decide from there." Katie sighed and got into bed beside him. "You getting' tired of the pirate life, eh?"

"Never," Katie smiled, "But I don't think I've been living the average pirate's life."

Teague agreed that they would have to do something about Angelica and the following afternoon was to be found sitting in his quarters at his table across from Jack. Both were toting their usual bottles of rum. Teague looked relaxed and Jack looked glum. The former examined his son, seeing through to the small boy he remembered peering up through locks of brown hair, sniffling over some ailment.

"Are you gonna tell me what's on yer mind, boy?" Teague growled, swigging his rum. Jack glanced up at his father.

"It's nothing."

"I don't believe that. Out with it, Jackie." He spoke as if to that little boy, and Jack sighed in surrender.

"Dad," He began slowly, unsure how to broach the topic, "I wanna know… about Mum." Teague's hand went to the shrunken head he kept on his belt. Some might call it macabre and disturbing, but he was carrying with him a part of the woman he had loved and at that, the part he loved her for: her head; her mind. The two men had never discussed Feronia properly, but Jack recalled Katie hugging Teague and the only hug he himself had ever received from his father. Feronia was the connection he had with Teague.

"What about her?" Teague's voice was quiet.

"Just… I feel like I barely knew 'er." Jack swigged his rum, regretting bringing this up already. Teague leaned forward.

"What's brought this on?"

"Last time we were 'ere, I showed Katie the stone. I told 'er about… about when she died. You know, Katie 'ad that cough an' was being so stubborn about being taken care of? Well… it's been on me mind." Jack said gruffly, "I don't even know how you met her." Teague, who'd always known this day would eventually come, sat back again in his seat.

"She was a native to the New World- that's where she got 'er looks, see, but she'd run away for some reason or another." Jack's eyebrows shot up, "She'd learnt English out at sea when she was escaping, an' met with a load of privateers, who captured me. I was on me way to the gallows when she came down to the brig. She didn't like the privateers, they patronised 'er because she was what they called an Indian, an' they coveted her. So, we hatched a plan. When we got to port, she helped me escape and we ran away. Managed to get to Tortuga, an' started a life out together. I loved 'er, Jackie, an' she loved me. It weren't long before you came along, right in the middle of a typhoon. We settled here to raise you, as you know, but she'd been runnin' since she was just a girl so she wasn't used to staying in one place. That's why she was gone a lot. I missed 'er, but I wanted 'er to be happy…."

Teague suddenly looked up to find Jack watching him with rapt attention. He'd never heard his father speak this way before.

"She was a brilliant woman, Jack. She liked to be busy, she liked a laugh. When she died… it felt like the world was ending. That's when I saw you, my boy. I'd always ignored you, too tied up with her… but I tried to take care of ye after that." Jack nodded, remembering. Although he had never gone as far as to be affectionate to Jack, he remembered that his father had scared his bullies away and made sure he was washed and fed on a more regular basis from then on.

"She ran away for a mysterious reason an' met a pirate an' started off a new life." Jack summarised the story, wonder in his voice. "Sounds like…"

"Katie." Teague was grinning now, the solemn atmosphere broken, "First thing I really said to 'er was that she reminded me of yer mother." Jack marvelled that Katie had never mentioned this to him.

"I was an idiot not to love 'er right away, wasn't I?" Jack asked, a small playing at his lips too now.

"That you were." Teague agreed, and they laughed.

"You two had a baby…" Jack said quietly. Teague looked at him quizzically. "Nothin'. Thanks, Dad." But as Jack left the room and began making his way back to his own, he felt as if a huge weight was being lifted off his shoulders. Now he finally understood, and knew, that his father had actually loved his mother and had cared about him growing up even if he didn't show it in an orthodox way.

**A/N: Phew! This has been one of my favourite chapters to write, so I hope that comes across. The past few chapters, the enthusiasm I've been showing has been quite forced and I think that showed in the quality, unfortunately. But I'm feeling a lot better about things now and especially this story. Sorry for the delay, too. Please drop me a line giving me your feedback, it'd be highly welcome! **


	22. Youth

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Youth **

They were to be found sailing across the Caribbean a few days later on the _Pearl._ The weather was getting a little warmer now and weak glimmers of sun danced off the surface of the sea. They were heading for Tortuga, though what exactly they were trying to do, nobody was sure.

"Your father's getting out and about quite a lot for a man of his age." Katie commented to Jack. Teague had unexpectedly offered to join them on their aimless journey, saying that he missed the sea. Jack watched his father, as steady and unmovable as always up at the helm, for a moment before he answered.

"I think 'e's living 'is second youth." Katie smiled. Jack's demeanour around his father had altered recently. He had hurried to tell her what he'd discovered about his mother and she had listened patiently and joyfully to his recounting his parent's love story. Jack had never really had anybody to share his happiness with before and he was more grateful to have Katie than ever. She was pleased to see him warming to Teague. Thinking about the same thing, Jack asked her: "Tell me about your mother." He had learnt that she was more open about her mother than her father, though he could only guess why. He'd decided long ago that he wasn't going to ask Katie the question she had promised to answer again; he knew she would tell him in her own time. But he was still curious to find out what he could about other aspects of her.

"I think I've told you everything." Katie replied lightly.

"Well, what did she look like?" Katie turned and affectionately drew Jack's hand into hers.

"A lot like me, except for the hair. She was dark-haired. I inherited the red from my grandmother back in Ireland."

"Oh so she must've been beautiful too, eh?" Jack grinned.

"Maybe," Katie smiled, "She was a great story-teller. She used to tell me about princes in faraway lands and underwater countries full of ghosts that seemed so real they gave me nightmares…" Jack flashed back suddenly to The Money Pit, and the strange water that had chased him and Elizabeth before vanishing without a trace. He had not forgotten the hopeless, terrified feeling that had filled them both. He blinked to find Katie looking up at him in concern. "What happened?" She asked him.

"Where did Tia Dalma go?" He questioned suddenly. He should have asked her when he had the chance!

"She just disappeared… I suppose she went home?" She added tentatively, not sure whether bound goddesses had homes. Jack nodded thoughtfully.

"I think we might have a destination, love."

In Tortuga, Jack met up with John, the owner of The Faithful Bride, and made their usual arrangement to have his ship fully stocked. Though Teague had agreed to come with them, he declined to join them on land as he felt he had 'outgrown the frivolities of Tortuga'. And so the other assorted crew members who had joined them made their way about the island, especially to the inns. Katie and Jack sat in a corner of the Faithful Bride, people-watching. Jack watched her green eyes travel over everything with a much more contented expression than had been on her face the first time he'd brought her here.

"What're you thinking about, love?" Jack queried her.

"Just… don't you miss this? The freedom?" She didn't ask him in an accusatory way. Only curiosity showed in her voice.

"I had all the freedom in the world to drown me sorrows but not to share me joy." He echoed his earlier thoughts contemplatively, swigging his rum.

"You do talk in riddles sometimes." Katie chuckled. He chuckled back.

"I haven't lost much, Katie." He indicated her and she smiled, about to speak again, when she felt a sharp blow to her shoulder out of nowhere. In a moment, she had leapt out of her seat and spun to face her attacker, one hand going to the sword she was still no expert at using, though the young man facing her could not know that. He himself was only armed with a bottle of rum and he did not look as if he'd thought to use it as a weapon. Before Katie could move another inch, however, Jack had stepped between them, sword at the man's throat, and was glaring menacingly.

"_Nobody_ touches my wife." Jack growled. Katie felt a strange thrill ripple through her at the words.

"She is Katie O'Connor?" The man asked, though his voice wavered a little. Jack frowned, squinting through the dim lighting of the pub at the dark curls and round face.

"You look familiar, have I threatened you before?" Jack questioned.

"_Are you Katie O'Connor?_" The young man growled again, aiming the question this time at Katie.

"Who's askin'?" Jack pressed the sword into the skin of his throat a little bit, causing a single bead of blood to appear.

"I'm Henry Percival Morris, and I believe you two knew my brother?" The young man gasped out, his nerves beginning to betray him. Katie frowned.

"I don't know any Morris." She said in disdain, her upper-class roots showing through on a rare occasion in the way that she appeared to look down at him from a high pedestal even though she was several inches shorter than him.

"No, but as a child I had a speech impediment which meant I could not pronounce the letter 'r'. The result, the word 'moss', became my brother's nickname." The dark eyes glinted malevolently as the truth dawned on Katie and Jack at last. He grinned. "Yes, I thought you knew my brother. You killed him, after all." He spat at Katie.

"What do you want?" Katie demanded, her voice higher than usual.

"Revenge, of course." He answered. Jack withdrew his sword, sheathing it at that moment. Morris straightened up from the position he had been in, leaning slightly backwards to try to escape the blade, only to find himself in the grip of two crew members, Gibbs and Sully, who'd been nearby when the scene broke out. Jack met his First Mate's eyes, and the latter nodded. No word was spoken as Morris was bodily removed from the Faithful Bride. Katie stared after them.

"How did he find me?" She asked quietly, as the usual commotion in the pub resumed.

"I'll give you three guesses." Jack murmured, his hand settling around her wrist.

"Angelica." Katie thought she might vomit if she had to say that woman's name one more time.

"Did Moss never mention a brother to you?" Jack enquired. Katie thought back what felt like a long way to those early days on the _Troubadour_, when she and Moss would chatter. Something stirred there in the memories that had dimmed in light of events following them.

"He said they were in the navy together… but of course Moss never told me he was working for Angelica, so he would never have mentioned that his brother was too." She turned suddenly and unseeingly to Jack, "They aren't going to kill him, are they?"

"No, love. He'll be shut up in the brig." Jack reassured her, slightly to his regret. He hoped the boy had gained a few more cuts and bruises on the journey from here to the ship, if nothing else. "Did he hurt you?" He added, looking at the shoulder he had struck. Katie shook her head.

"No." Her eyes seemed to come back into focus then and she seized the wine that she had been drinking and downed it in one. "Let's enjoy the night we have on the island, shall we?" Jack toasted her and drank too, though he was worried. They took their usual walk down to the beach a few hours later. It was the darkest part of the night but Tortuga never slept. They had to go some way along the bay before the sounds of drunken voices faded out completely and they were left with the rushing of the sea. Jack recalled Katie's first trip there and thought she was almost as inebriated as that night now. He managed to settle her on the sand and sat beside her.

"Katie Sparrow, I've told you before about feeling guilty that boy had to die." Jack told her sternly after watching her stare out to sea for a moment.

"Still shouldn't've done it. Should've… should've been her."

"That would have been a wasted shot, love." Jack reminded her. "And he betrayed you all the same. You weren't aiming to kill." Katie nodded, clinging as always to his words on this subject; she _hadn't_ meant to kill Moss, she'd hardly known which way was up in the moment. "Death ain't so bad, love. At least, not the way he went. It would've been like falling asleep." Jack recalled his own experience with death, the maddening period he had spent in Davy Jones' locker, tortured by his own company. _It's about living with yourself forever. _

"You're right." She whispered, looking at him with difficulty.

"An' 'is brother's gonna learn 'is lesson locked in the brig where he belongs. He won't get to taunt ye, love, don't you worry about that." Jack added protectively.

"Jack," Katie asked suddenly, changing the subject, "Marry me properly."

"What?"

"You know. Officially." Jack peered at her and saw through the alcohol to the girl inside.

"I thought you didn't mind things as they are, unorthodox." He persisted anyway.

"I don't, but… well, it'd be funny, if it was true after all. And it'd be proper… what if you give me a baby?" The last part was mumbled, almost out of fear. This was something that had worried Katie for quite some time, secretly, ever since she and Jack's relationship had become physical. He always withdrew, but even her rudimentary knowledge told her that really it was only a matter of time. Jack remembered again his father telling him how quickly he'd come along for his mother.

"What if you did get a baby?" Jack asked her quietly. Katie lay back on the sand then, looking up at the array of stars twinkling in the sky. Jack sighed and lay back beside her.

"I suppose it wouldn't be such a bad thing." Katie answered finally, and she sounded a lot more sober than she had done moments before.

"I suppose not." Jack agreed, his voice surprising him for coming out of his mouth so readily. "But it's a hard life to bring up a pirate baby…"

"He'd come with us. Or she, whichever. I wouldn't leave them, but I couldn't leave you either and you'd never stay behind. You're like your mother." She repeated his previous words back to him then, and Jack turned his head to look at her. Katie looked peaceful once more, as if no troublesome stranger had threatened her just hours before. He smiled, but then reality seeped in:

"Fancy us talkin' about babies! We 'ave more pressing matters to deal with love. We need to sort out this bloody wench." Katie laughed at this, the laugh seeming to go on endlessly into the heavens above them. Jack took her hand gently and pulled her to her feet, deciding that now was the time to head back to the _Black Pearl_.

"I will marry you properly, love, when all this is over. I promise."

The sun burned bright the next morning, bringing on the familiar stinging sensation in all the hungover pirates as they laboured slowly on their tasks. Teague had absolutely no mercy and spent the day in a good mood, making loud noises to irritate the pirates and generally making his presence known.

"I dunno what you're so cheerful for," Jack muttered to his father as they stood by the helm, "We're goin' to see Tia Dalma again."

"A man's allowed to smile, ain't he, Jackie?" Teague grinned. Jack gave his father a dark look before sauntering away towards the kitchen, where Katie was slaving over a stew.

"I bet ye never cooked a day in yer life before ye were a pirate." Jack said, making her jump; she hadn't heard him enter.

"No, I hadn't… but I don't mind it." Katie answered honestly. Especially not on the days like this one, when she was under the weather and this was the only place she could find peace and quiet. Jack walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She let go of the ladle she was wielding to lean back into his embrace.

"Everything's gonna be alright, love. You know that don't you?" Jack asked.

"Yes… I suppose so." Katie replied. "Have you seen him today?"

"Not yet. He's locked in the brig. Can't say I trust meself to…" Jack trailed off, thinking of the way guilt and horror had danced across Katie's face when she realised she was face to face with Moss' brother. Katie turned and allowed Jack to kiss her.

"He didn't hurt me, Jack." She reminded him. Jack looked into her eyes for a moment and nodded, knowing what had to be done. Katie took his hand and the pair of them made their way to the brig. Teague, still in a good mood, joined them half-way across the deck.

"Are ye sure yer ready for this?" He asked Katie. Katie sighed. The truth was, she didn't think she'd ever stop feeling horrible for having killed Moss. She knew it was a fact she'd have to learn to live with, but coming face to face with someone who had lost him as a loved one was a challenge she hadn't thought she'd have to deal with and had delivered a few home truths to her about the life she was living: piracy went hand in hand with other crimes, some worse than others. One of those was murder. It was too late to go back now, and she would never leave Jack, but it was the reality all the same.

"You don't 'ave to come down there, love." Jack muttered to her.

"I do." Katie insisted. Jack glanced at his father, who nodded, before the three of them continued down to the brig. Once there, they found Henry Morris sat against the wall of the ship, away from the bars of the cell. It was the same cell his accomplice of some sort, Angelica, had been locked in not so long ago and had inexplicably escaped, presumably by the hand of Tia Dalma. He looked towards the trio as they approached and it suddenly struck Katie how young he looked.

"Are you going to kill me too?" Henry said bitterly, having eyes only for Katie. "Just wanted to humiliate me a little first?"

"As inviting as the prospect of killing you is," Teague interrupted, "I don't remember givin' you permission to talk."

"I don't need permission from you." Henry spat. Katie's mouth dropped open: she'd never heard anybody speak to Teague with such disrespect. It was just so obvious that he was not the sort of man you wanted to get on the wrong side of.

"Then you must have no idea who yer dealin' with, laddie." Teague casually lifted his gun and aimed it between the bars of the cell. "Now, you keep a civil tongue an' we _might_ not kill you." Henry looked as if he would like to argue but his eyes were on the gun and so he kept quiet.

"That's more like it." Jack interjected, his hands balled into fists.

"How long have you been working with Angelica?" Katie asked, sharply and clearly, not a single ounce of her guilt and anxiety showing in her voice. Teague looked round approvingly, though his hand holding the gun remained very steady.

"A while." Henry answered cryptically.

"And why?"

"I'm not telling you that." He spat at Katie in disgust. Though it pained her, she did not flinch.

"I would advise that you do." She told him. His eyes travelled from her to Jack and then to Teague. When they turned to her, he was gritting his teeth visibly, a sure indication that he was not about to give up that easily, although his nerves betrayed him a little. Katie bravely stepped up to Teague: "I'll talk to him alone." She said quietly. Teague considered this for a second but Jack immediately interrupted:

"No." The single syllable was authoritative and final, but Katie turned to face him.

"Jack, we need answers. I can't promise I'll get them, and if it fails I'll come and get you. But we have to try and he can't hurt me from in there." Jack looked as if he despised what he was hearing even as his eyes travelled over her head to his father. The latter gave a short nod. Jack sighed, resigning.

"I'll be at the top of the steps." He informed her, also making sure Henry caught his words. Katie nodded and watched as Jack made his way out. As Teague passed her though, she caught him by the arm.

"Take this." She said, handing him the pistol the old pirate had once handed to her. Henry watched it switch hands. Teague understood without question and accepted the weapon and left. When the door closed behind him, Katie turned once again to face Henry Morris, and this time they were alone.

**A/N: Hello everybody! I know I'm a little late but merry Christmas to all those celebrating! Thank you so much for reading this. A lot happened in this chapter and I would love to know what you think, so please drop me a review!**


	23. The Pantano River

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: The Pantano River**

"You still have your sword." Henry said to Katie.

"I hardly know how to use it." She replied, folding her arms across her chest and looking at him. She wasn't completely sure what she was going to achieve by speaking alone with the young man, but she did know that people tended to respond better in one-on-one situations than when interrogated by a group; even Angelica had proven herself subject to that rule. "Henry, how old are you?" Katie asked him in a gentler voice than she'd used before, though she was still keeping all emotion out of her tone.

"Of what significance is that?" She hadn't heard another upper-class accent in quite some time and it felt almost foreign to her ears now.

"You seem young and you may be involved in something you do not fully understand." Katie explained, however cryptically.

"I understand everything." Henry insisted, "You killed my brother so he would not share your secret."

"Yes, I killed your brother, but not for that reason." Katie informed him with conviction: she had, after all, fired without really knowing what she was doing or why. All she had known was the pain of being stabbed with Angelica's dagger and the need to defend herself. Moss had just been caught in the crossfire. He had been about to betray her, certainly, but Katie knew well enough that that particular betrayal had not merited death; she had given the matter more than enough thought since the night it'd happened. Henry licked his lips a little nervously.

"I'm seventeen." He answered her previous question.

"Little more than a boy." Katie murmured.

"I am a man." He spat through the bars of his cell. Apparently she'd hit a nerve, but his response only reinforced her summary.

"Did Angelica ever explain to you why she was so keen to hurt Jack?" Katie chose her next question carefully.

"He left her on an island to die," Henry replied quickly, "She wanted revenge."

"It was because she loved him. She loved him and he abandoned her." Katie watched his facial expression; it hardly changed, only to one of non-comprehension. He obviously could not see how the two facts were connected. "Henry, why did you and Moss agree to help aid her?"

"Moss was shipwrecked and Angelica rescued him," Henry began, and Katie remembered Moss telling her that Teague had rescued him. "In gratitude, he agreed to help her, but she had neither ship nor crew. So, she-" He stopped, looking suddenly worried.

"Go on." Katie urged him.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this. I won't tell you anymore." He decided.

"You stand to lose more by your silence." Katie warned him. He looked at her closely, his expression calculating beneath his dark curls. He clamped his mouth shut stubbornly and glared. "Henry, you can either do this the easy way and tell me now or the hard way. It's your choice." After a long pause, he spoke again:

"She told him to find passage to Shipwreck Island and keep an ear out for the name Jack Sparrow. He wrote to me and told me that he had heard Teague was looking for Sparrow too, and I'd heard from my comrades in the Navy that Teague was likely to find him. Moss decided to get into his crew, and so faked another shipwreck. Teague pulled him on-board and he became a chef… he was to find out as much about Jack Sparrow as possible." Katie frowned. There was a part of this story that made no sense to her at all.

"Why would he sign up for a life of piracy just for Angelica? Why get so involved in all of this?" Moss had been intelligent enough, after all.

"At first I think he agreed as a favour to try to find out where Sparrow was… but then, he got a letter to me in Tortuga, through a ship passing through the same base I was stationed at with the Navy. He kept talking about this Katie," He spat her name malevolently, "And he was going along with anything to spend more time with you." Katie thought about this in silence; Moss had known that her and Jack's marriage was fake. As real as their relationship was now, back then it had all been a construct. If he had really cared for her, surely he wouldn't have still wanted to betray her to Angelica, no matter how grateful he was to her for his life?

"She must have threatened him…" Katie breathed.

"What?" Henry demanded.

"Nothing." Moss must have seen that by the time they had met up at Shipwreck Island that her and Jack's relationship was changing, and he had been jealous. Meeting up with Angelica had probably been enough to convince himself that telling Angelica the truth was the best way to get himself out of danger and possibly bring Katie with him… whilst hurting Jack. It all made sense now. He hadn't known Angelica would be so incensed with the belief that Katie had married Jack that she would attack her.

"Henry, thank you for telling me this." Katie said, and Henry's mouth opened a little in surprise.

"I- I didn't tell you to help you! You still killed my brother!" He had not meant to say as much as he had- that much was obvious.

"I did." Katie agreed, "But it wasn't intentional."

"Saying you didn't mean it won't bring him back!" Henry snapped.

"And neither will your fury with me." Henry hesitated. She could see his young mind ticking over, trying to conclude where they now stood. She had managed to make him spill the whole story without raising a single finger- all done with a quiet but hard-edged touch that he didn't even realise had worked until it was too late. This was characteristic of Katie, of course, but Henry didn't know that. He was, like most men, astonished to find out that a woman had a brain.

"I suppose now you are done with me you are going to let the scoundrel's cut me to shreds?" He said, to cover his confusion.

"There'll be no shredding here." Katie could only see Henry's youth and his grief at losing the brother he had looked up to, to circumstances he couldn't understand not least because he only knew half the story. Katie could never enlighten him, but she could at least be merciful.

She left him in the brig and went up the steps to find Jack waiting impatiently. She relayed what Moss had said and when she was finished, Jack pouted.

"No shredding?" He repeated with disappointment.

"He hasn't really done anything wrong, Jack." Katie pointed out flatly. Jack sighed, knowing she was right.

"Yer amazing, ye know that?" He asked her as she made her way back towards the cabin. She flashed him a smile over her shoulder.

"I know." Jack closed the door behind them and pulled her to him, his hands sliding down her body. His eyes were dark and adoring.

"I mean _really_ amazing." Her eyes fluttered shut as he kissed her. She swayed a little and he gripped her tightly round the waist as their lips parted once more. He looked wonderingly down at her. "Ye're very forgiving."

"Only when people deserve it." Katie replied. He smiled and kissed her again before leading her by the hand over to the table where his charts were laid out, sitting down and pulling her so that she was perched on his lap. "Where does Tia Dalma live?" Katie asked him.

"In a shack on the Pantano River." Katie frowned, trying to recall her scant Geography lessons; she still had much to learn about where exactly everything was in the world. "Cuba," Jack said, when he saw her expression, "'Orrible place it is too, in the middle of a forest…"

"That the Voodoo Woman's place?" Both Jack and Katie jumped at Teague's voice. They hadn't heard him enter.

"Ye could've knocked!" Jack snapped. Teague chuckled.

"You did well with the lad." Teague told Katie, who nodded. "Dunno what we're gonna do with him now, though."

"Drop 'im off on some island." Jack shrugged carelessly, "She won't let me shred 'im."

"I spoke to him." Teague informed his son, "I think she's right not to 'urt him. He's harmless, just a boy."

"We could have him serve." Both men looked blankly at Katie when she said this. Jack shook his head.

"Overkill, love. Ye saved 'is life, that's enough." He said decisively after a pause.

"He'd be better off trying to re-enlist." Teague added. Katie sighed in defeat, knowing they were right: Henry was young and his life would be much easier the less that he was tangled up with pirates. She sometimes felt that way herself, though it never crossed her mind to try to go back to her old life. It was far too late for that and she would never want to. Teague walked over to the charts and peered down at them. "We'll be at the Pantano River in three days if the weather stays fair." He said, before departing, leaving Katie and Jack still sat at the desk.

They were lucky with the weather over the next few days. The skies remained clear and the days had some warmth to them at last after what felt like an eternity of cold. The nights were cool but the sea remained calm. The mood amongst the crew was much improved, right up until dusk on the third day of sailing. As predicted by Teague, _the Black Pearl_ came upon Cuba. It was a land of debauchery of a lower depth than even Tortuga, as it was unhappily under Spanish rule. Some of the crew looked eagerly towards the towns, knowing that prostitution and smuggling was rife. Their reluctance to venture into their intended destination, the Cypress Forest, was also very much to do with the discomfort Tia Dalma caused everybody. Every pirate there had witnessed her wrath as Calypso in the Sea of Flames and most of them had also witnessed the maelstrom not too long ago which she had created when released from her bindings. Even without that, she was quite an unsettling person to be around. Katie wasn't much more enthusiastic than most of the more superstitious crew members, but she was resigned. They had to know why Angelica had kept appearing and disappearing by her hand, and not to mention get some idea of how to rid her from their lives.

They had to paddle down the still-watered river in dinghies. As Katie stepped into one with Jack, Teague and Gibbs, she noticed for the first time that Jack seemed to be sharing her nerves- or perhaps it was more, perhaps it was fear? He sat beside her, facing forwards as Gibbs rowed, glancing around at the tree's. The river seemed to have a constant mist upon its surface that played tricks on the eyes, and Katie thought she was seeing faces peering out of the forest in her periphery vision, though she was too tense to look. Instead, she reached across to Jack and gripped his hand. He returned her grip with welcome, as if it was a lifeline. She looked across at him questioningly and he leant close to murmur to her:

"Last time I was 'ere… I was runnin' from the kraken."

"You're safe now." Katie whispered back, slightly startled as ever by the rare glimpse she had into Jack's deepest fear, and how damaged he had been by his run-ins with Davy Jones.

She didn't feel very safe though; all of them had the prickling feeling at the back of their necks as if they were being watched. The rest of the crew were following behind and there was fear in their faces too, but hardly anybody breathed a word. Katie kept glancing up, trying to see the darkening sky through the trees. It was almost completely black in the forest before dim lanterns began to appear among the trees and plants. They were sparse but were dotted more and more frequently the longer they rowed. Gibbs, for once, was relishing in the work of rowing rather than having to pay much mind to his surroundings and Katie wished she had volunteered to row for a moment. The journey seemed never-ending.

Finally they came to a sort of miniature makeshift dock, with what appeared to be bare branches hammered tightly into the soft earth beside the river. As they came up beside it and stopped, Katie looked at her boat-mates. All three of the men had their eyes fixed slightly above at what appeared to be a house somewhere between a hut and a tree-house, rickety but huge, a short distance in from the river. More silvery lanterns gave some illumination to their surroundings. Realising nobody else was going to, Katie took the lead; she climbed out of the dinghy and tied it up using the rope to a post sticking out of the ground. Her movements seemed to bring Jack, Teague and Gibbs to their senses and they climbed out after her. Teague went ahead now, his face unreadable, and Gibbs followed. Katie looked at Jack and could see he was still in the throes of some sort of turmoil, and took his hand once more, pulling him after her towards Tia Dalma's shack.

**A/N: I realise this is a little shorter than normal but I think trying to push it any further would've killed it. This also took a little longer to upload because freakin' Word erased like everything but the first two paragraphs of this chapter when I was almost done with it so I had to rewrite it all! Grr. Anyway, please let me know what you thought of this chapter, thanks so much to everyone who has read this far! Thanks especially to Maddz2, daydreamer987, Patree77, Pirate Gyrl and Aim1107 for your lovely reviews! **


	24. Stranger Than Fiction

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Stranger Than Fiction**

The entrance to Tia Dalma's shack was only covered by some sort of beaded curtain rather than a door. In contrast to the shadows outside, their eyes were assaulted by the hundreds of candles that covered every surface, bathing everything in bright light. Katie noticed many unusual things hanging from the ceiling and on many of the cluttered surfaces, including a cage containing the skeleton of some sort of seven-legged monster and a jar full of pickled brains. Grimacing, Katie looked towards Teague. He'd taken off his hat and was examining his surroundings too, though with more curiosity than disgust. Jack stood nervously behind Katie, not wanting to venture any further into the shack; Gibbs was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Footsteps told them the rest of the crew was hovering outside the door, but before anybody could speak, Tia Dalma loomed from further into the shack.

"I knew you would all be coming to find me." She grinned at Teague.

"We have some questions to ask you." Katie said, drawing the other woman's eyes to her.

"Kathryn, de one person I was really hoping to see." Jack made a small noise of surprise when Tia Dalma actually gave a partial curtsey to Katie. "Not a moment too soon, I tink. We have much to discuss." Tia Dalma turned again and began to head further into her shack once more. Katie, Gibbs and Jack followed her, as did Teague, though only after making a motion to the rest of the crew to remain behind.

The room they were led to was just as brightly lit and Katie thought her eyes might never recover from the glare. Tia sat down at a small rickety table and the other four took assorted seats around the room. Jack remained close to Katie, his eyes scanning everything about them.

"You have come to ask of Angelica Teach." Tia Dalma supplied after a moment of silence, fiddling with something Katie could not see. Gibbs caught Katie's eye, but it was Teague who spoke:

"How did she get to The Money Pit and onto the Pearl, and more importantly, 'ow did she escape?" He growled. Tia Dalma smiled her slightly menacing smile once more.

"I tink you know de answer to dat question." She replied.

"Yes, but why?" Katie interjected, and the other woman glanced at her before her eyes shifted to Jack, who was suddenly very interested in his own fingernails.

"Dat was her punishment." The air suddenly became very still on the last word. Jack looked up at Tia Dalma then, his attention captured. Tia grinned again, satisfied with the effect her words had had, before elaborating: "She planned to use de power of de sea for her own means… and in so doing, was playing a god herself."

"I don't understand." Gibbs said.

"Dat pit was full of strange magic… if Angelica had not been dere to take de brunt of it, Jack here would have died… again." Katie's eyes widened at this. What was she talking about? "Yes, I know dat was de other reason you were here, Jack Sparrow."

"What…?" Teague began but Jack interrupted the question:

"And what about on the _Pearl_?" He demanded.

"If she had not saved your lives wid de water, your beloved would have died." The three men's eyes found Katie.

"I would have…?"

"Most certainly."

"How is that punishment?" Jack wanted to know.

"She was forced to save de life of a woman she wanted dead." The shack fell silent again as they all thought about the implications of this. Katie was watching the goddess in human form, her mind racing. She remembered her conversation with Angelica in the brig, every detail. She was also recalling the heat of the flames, and how faint she had felt before Angelica had suggested blowing up the water barrels with grenades. And then Jack had sent her below, where she was safe. He would have been too distracted to do that otherwise, and may not have figured out how to navigate the sea of flames. Then they would have felt the full wrath of Calypso, and Katie would have been one of those to suffer for their daring to bind a freed goddess. Why had Tia Dalma cared though? Why had she wanted to save her?

"You still took her away." Katie said out loud. "The cell was still locked, but she was gone."

"Yes, but she isn't bothering you anymore." Tia pointed out. Jack and Katie glanced at one another.

"Where is she?" Another pause, and then Tia Dalma raised her hand. Clutched between her fingers was a tiny golden bell, which she rang. The sound chimed disproportionately to the size of the bell, and the sound was dissonant and unpleasant. All four others in the room winced and clutched their ears, but the sound seemed to be coming from inside their heads. Jack, not yet understanding this, yelled, "Bloody hell woman!" Tia Dalma stilled the bell and they all removed their hands.

"What was all that about?" Teague did not look pleased. His dislike of the 'Voodoo Girl' was increasing by the second.

"Here is de answer." Tia Dalma replied. And there came a tiny, pathetic mew. Katie jumped and looked down at her feet. There padded a tiny cat. It passed them all and leapt up onto the table before Tia Dalma, and proceeded to hiss and spit in her face.

Katie and Gibbs looked confused, but Jack and Teague's faces both showed similar expressions of comprehension and horror. They had seen this before, a long time ago, happen to somebody else. Tia Dalma ignored the angry cat and fastened the bell to the red collar around its neck.

"I thought she'd 'ad her punishment." Teague said, and finally the truth dawned on Katie and Gibbs: this cat was Angelica!

"Dis is to punish quite a different crime." Tia Dalma responded.

"What was that?" Katie asked weakly eyes still on the cat, which turned its big yellow eyes on her. Tia Dalma didn't answer her question.

"Are you feeling sorry for de wench?" She indicated the cat, which immediately let out a stream of hissing which, though incomprehensible, left no doubt of its meaning. Katie thought hard for a second. She'd hated Angelica for so long now, yet she wasn't sure that her being transformed into a cat was a just punishment. Sympathy might be pushing it, though.

"Well, we 'ave our answers now, we can get out of here!" Jack announced, snapping out of his shock abruptly and getting to his feet. Gibbs followed suit, only too eager to be out of there.

"It is night now, Jack. De river is a dangerous place nowadays, and you cannot row in complete darkness." Jack froze and turned to look at Tia Dalma. "You used to like spending time with me, Jack." She said flirtatiously.

"I'm a married man now." He said. Katie raised her eyebrows.

"Indeed…" Tia's eyes strayed to Gibbs for a second before she smirked slyly. "I need to speak to your wife, actually. You and de crew can set up to sleep in de room upstairs." Jack looked as if he might very much like to argue, but Angelica growled and launched herself off the table. She hissed angrily at Katie's ankles as she stalked out of the room. Tia Dalma laughed meanly, but Jack got the message; crossing Tia Dalma had you turned into a cat. Teague rose then and steered his son from the room, Gibbs bringing up the rear, leaving Katie and Tia Dalma alone.

Jack was in an absolutely foul mood by the time the crew had gathered in the upstairs room Tia Dalma had mentioned. It was a large space, with a few hammocks and plenty of floor space to sleep in. It was also not quite as brightly lit as downstairs, though there were still many candles that would have to be distinguished before anybody slept. Angelica was also in the room, perched on the sill of the window, looking over them menacingly. He would be hard put to sleep in a room where there was likely a cat waiting for the first opportunity to claw his eyes out.

"Calm down, son." Teague advised him in a low voice.

"How can I be calm? I owe me life to that bloody _woman_! Just when I thought I was free of 'er…"

"You are free of 'er. She can't talk anymore, can she?"

"Don't mean anything." Jack grunted. Teague rolled his eyes.

"You have the answers you wanted, Jackie."

"Yeah… but she's still…" Jack mumbled falteringly. Teague thought he knew, though.

"She was never gonna die, son." He reminded him quietly. Jack stared at Angelica across the room; he couldn't believe that somewhere in that cat's body was a girl he had once corrupted into leaving the convent and had gone on to become a fearsome pirate in her own right, the daughter of Blackbeard. Somebody he had once loved and now hated and could certainly never forgive.

"I can't stay here. I need to get out of here." At that moment, Katie entered the room. Her expression was unreadable, but Jack drifted towards her. "Perfect." He muttered. "Wanna go for a walk?" He asked her.

"Please let's." Katie agreed faintly, taking his hand. Tia Dalma didn't stop them from walking out of the shack as a pair. "Apparently the bell takes away Angelica's free will, so she can't hurt us no matter how much she wants to," Katie informed him, as they made their way away from the shack and into the dense trees, "The bad news is, we have to keep her."

"What?" Jack spluttered, coming to a halt. Katie turned to face him, looking grim.

"It's supposed to teach us to learn to coexist." She explained.

"Since when did Tia Dalma become a teacher?" He asked the world at large.

"It's going to be hard to keep our wedding a secret." Katie blushed, looking down at her feet, "If you still want to really marry me, that is."

"I promised you." Jack said, stepping towards her and putting a finger under her chin, gently lifting it. His anger had abated a little with Katie there- she was like the sea, she calmed his nerves. "Katie, what did she want to talk to you about?" Katie hesitated. Her head was ringing with the words she had just been told herself, and she wasn't sure how she was ever going to relay them to Jack, though she had been charged with just that task. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. "Katie." He said, using the authoritative captain's voice that forced an answer.

"There is a way to be free of her forever." She said, and her voice took on a curious tone. Jack ducked his head down to look at her more closely.

"What's that?" He asked.

"We have to forgive her." Jack stared.

"That's never gonna 'appen." He said flatly after a moment. Katie sighed.

"It'll be difficult but… we can't be stuck with her forever, can we?" Jack thought about this; the eternal company of Angelica, even in cat form, would be close to unbearable. But he was nowhere close to forgiving her for everything she'd done- and almost killing Katie was very high on that list.

"Would she be human again if we forgave 'er?" He wanted to know.

"I don't think so. Just… we wouldn't have to live with her." Katie gave a slightly bitter laugh, which was uncharacteristic of her.

"Could _you_ forgive her?" His voice was very low. Katie reached out and clasped his hands in hers, looking down at them. Slowly, she shook her head.

"I don't think so… it would have to be… something big, I think. And even then, I can't imagine not…"

"…Hating her guts." Jack finished the sentence for her.

"Well, yes." Katie admitted. The scar on her back seemed to throb as she thought about it. Jack sighed, pulling her close to him. They stood together for a long time in the darkness of the trees, not saying anything. Katie wished that everything would disappear, everything that wasn't her and Jack. A childish desire but a very real one; it seemed their problems would never end, they'd never be free. Eventually though, it started to get cold and Jack drew away from her.

"We'll marry soon, love. It's the only thing left we 'ave to do, an' then… well then we'll worry about 'er."He added darkly, leading Katie by the hand back into Tia Dalma's shack. When they got upstairs they found everyone else was asleep, Sully and Gibbs' snoring filling the room. They'd left a hammock free for the captain and his wife and they climbed into it carefully. It was only when Katie shifted that she spotted Angelica's glowing yellow feline eyes from the windowsill. The eyes were focused on her and so Katie closed her own, wanting to block out the realities.

The sun was hardly up when Teague was waking everybody up. He was as eager as anybody to be off and nobody was going to argue. Tia Dalma never seemed to sleep and bade them all farewell with an air of unfriendly mystery. Jack and Katie were almost out the door themselves when she tapped Jack on the shoulder and dumped the bundle of fur that was Angelica into his arms. He promptly dropped the cat in disgust, not wanting to touch her even as a cat. Angelica landed on all four feet and hissed, before stalking out after the rest of the crew to head to the boats.

"We may be seeing each other sooner than you tink." Tia Dalma told the couple ominously as they made their exit.

Jack took up an oar this time, rowing back up the Pantano River. It was only marginally less creepy in the day time. Katie could see people peering out of the trees again and knew this time that those faces weren't imagined; locals were staring, curious. Angelica settled on Gibbs' knees. He wasn't exactly happy with the arrangement, but Teague would have sooner dumped the cat overboard and she wouldn't deign to sit on Katie, who'd probably take a similar stance anyway.

The sun was fully risen and warm by the time they reached the _Black Pearl_ again. When Jack entered his cabin an hour later, when they were sailing swiftly, he found Angelica perched on his desk, paws folded, looking expectant.

"Oi, get out of 'ere!" He shooed the cat, tempted to get some water and splash her with it. Instead, he took a book and made as though to hit her, causing her to leap away. "Yer not to come in 'ere, ever, or Katie'll make cat stew of you!" Message received, Angelica darted out, almost tripping Katie up as she followed Jack in. He looked angry, so she shut the door behind her and came towards him.

"I suppose there's no point in being upset. We can't do anything about it, yet." She told him, approaching him carefully.

"I hate her. I hate her." He said repetitively.

"I know. But you don't hate me." Katie smiled playfully in attempt to cheer him up. It worked as he caught her mischievous grin and placed his hands on her waist.

"No, I don't hate you." He agreed, pecking a kiss on her cheek. "I like you, actually." A kiss on her jaw. "Rather a lot." A kiss behind her ear. "Too much, some might say." He applied his lips to her neck, nibbling a little. She gasped and tilted her head back as she always did under his ministrations. Her own hands began deftly caressing his arms before sweeping across his chest and stomach sensuously. He let out a minute groan and steered her over to the bed, suddenly overcome with a carnal need for her _now_. All thoughts of Angelica had, miraculously, gone from their heads as they were wrapped up in each other once more.

Out on the deck, Teague was at the helm. Angelica jumped up suddenly onto his shoulders and draped herself there like a scarf around his neck. The bell around her neck jangled horribly once more, again much more loudly than was proportionate to its size, seeming to sound inside his head more than it did in the outside world.

"Ge' off me." He growled at the cat. She made no move to, and turning his head he saw her give him a very sarcastic look. "I'm not above animal cruelty in special circumstances, cat." Still she didn't move. He had a mind to stick the cat with his sword but then thought better of it. Instead, he handed off the wheel to Gibbs and instead lifted the cat of his neck himself, took her over to the rail of the ship and held her over the edge, right over the sea.

"Cat's don't like water, do they?" He said menacingly. "Shame it still wouldn't kill ye." He put her on the railing instead, where she sat quite comfortably and fixed him with a yellow stare.

"You cause my son and his wife even a little bit of trouble an' I swear I'll do it. You got that?" Teague had a notion that anybody watching would probably think he'd lost his marbles in his old age, threatening a cat. But Angelica merely stared for a few seconds longer and then nodded. "Right." He muttered, satisfied, before stomping away.

**A/N: So… what do you think? I'd just like to say that the person they'd seen suffer this fate features in the Jack Sparrow novels that are part of the universe. I haven't read them but I did read the synopses of these and thought it would work well in this fic, and the character if you're interested in looking up was Constance Magliore. Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time, please do so again! **

**P.S. Sorry if you follow this story and got two updates of this chapter. The first time I uploaded an incomplete version by mistake. My bad!**


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